Could the girl from Pollachi, who had 13 siblings, directly approach the Supreme Court? How did her mother, who studied till 5th standard, decide on the path to becoming a judge? Didn’t limited resources and a batch of 9 women stop her? After all, how was history created by going straight from ‘bar’ to ‘bench’?
Supreme Court Women Judges Story: For years, senior lawyer Venkita Subramani Mohana was seen by everyone in Delhi’s legal circles and the corridors of the Supreme Court as a cheerful and smiling face. But very few people were aware of the steely intentions, tough struggles and secret determination to create history hidden behind that polite smile. Today senior lawyer V.S. Mohana’s promotion as a Supreme Court judge is not only the pinnacle of her life but also a turning point in the history of the country’s judicial system that has shaken decades-old records.
For the first time since 2018…how did history repeat itself?
Justice V.S. This appointment of Mohana is a milestone in the history of the country’s largest court. After the historic appointment of Justice Indu Malhotra in 2018, Justice Mohana is only the second woman lawyer in the country to become a Supreme Court judge directly from the ‘Bar’ (group of lawyers). This journey from a small business town like Pollachi to reaching the Supreme Court of the country is no less than a mysterious and exciting story.
A big family of 13 siblings and that magical decision of the mother who passed 5th
Justice Mohana was born in Pollachi in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu in a disciplined family that valued values more than resources. She was the 11th child of her parents’ 13 children (9 daughters and 4 sons). His father retired from the army and was a government entomologist, who instilled strict discipline in the children. But the biggest twist in the story came when her mother Kaveri Ammal changed the direction of Mohana’s future. Despite having only a fifth grade education herself, her mother recognized Mohana’s hidden extraordinary talent for debate and public speaking and sent her on a path that no one else in the family had ever followed—the profession of law.
The journey started from rented rooms… when I paid the hostel expenses by teaching tuition myself.
Mohana, who received ‘National Merit Scholarship’ from 10th class till graduation, did India’s first five-year integrated BA LL.B in 1983. Enrolled in the initial batch of the programme. Coimbatore Law College was then in its infancy; There was neither a big library nor any grand building of its own. Classes were held in rented rooms. Out of total 83 students, only 9 were girls, one of whom was Mohana. According to sources, during that period, she financed her education by staying in a hostel for working women and by giving private tuition to others.
From classmate to judge: The unique truth about the coincidence of 2023 and 2026
The most interesting suspense of this story is that among the classmates who studied with Mohana in that historic first batch of 1988, was K.V. Viswanathan was also included. The same KV. Vishwanathan who became the Additional Solicitor General of the country and was appointed Supreme Court judge directly from the bar in the year 2023. Similarly today, his classmate Justice V.S. Mohana has also taken charge of the Supreme Court of the country after traveling directly from the bar to the bench. Her journey is a living inspiration for crores of women and youth of the country who have the courage to break the conservative boundaries and touch the sky.