The trailblazing journey of Cornelia Sorabji, India’s first woman lawyer who fought against odds to graduate from Oxford

Cornelia Sorabji: India’s First Woman Lawyer and Oxford Graduate

Key Points:

• Early Life: Born 15 November 1866 in Pune, India, into a Parsi family. Educated in history, English, and mathematics by her father.
• Education:
  • First Indian woman to matriculate at the University of Bombay at age 16.
  • Attended Deccan College, Pune, among 300 male peers; emerged as top student and earned first-class honours in 1887.
  • Studied at Somerville College, Oxford (1889), becoming the first Indian woman to study law at Oxford.
  • Passed Bachelor of Civil Laws (BCL) exams in 1892; officially received her degree in 1922 after women were allowed to collect degrees.
• Legal Career:
  • Returned to India in 1894; campaigned for women’s legal rights.
  • Appointed Lady Assistant to the Court of Wards of Bengal and Eastern Bengal and Assam in 1904, serving widowed women and children.
  • Became India’s first female barrister in 1924 after qualifying in England.
• Social Work:
  • Advocated for purdahnashin women and their legal rights.
  • Produced detailed annual reports to improve understanding of women’s conditions under colonial law.
• Legacy:
  • Collaborated with British officials, including seven Viceroys, King George V, and Queen Mary, on Indian affairs.
  • Pioneered women’s entry into law in India and left a profound mark on the legal and social landscape.
    
    Updated - March 19, 2025; 7:23 PM | Indian Express