The first woman Chief Justice to the High Court in India, the first woman Judge of the Delhi High Court, the first woman to top the Bar examinations in London: seventy-three-year-old Leila Seth has led a full life.

Leila was born on 20th October 1930 in Lucknow, India. She studied law with her husband and young children in England, and later practiced in Patna, Calcutta and Delhi. Leila is the mother of three remarkable children – the writer Vikram, whose novel A Suitable Boy captivated the world; Zen Buddhist dharmnacharya, Shantum and film-maker, Aradhana. Leila recently authored her memoirs in On Balance.

Retired as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh in 1992, Leila was appointed in 1995 as the one-member commission to examine the death in custody of Rajan Pillai, and from 1997 to 2000 was a member of the 15th Law Commission of India. She does arbitration work and is involved in human rights activities. She lives in Noida with her husband Premo, son Shantum, daughter-in-law Gitanjali and granddauther Nandini.