Leila Seth

Hon'ble Justice Leila Seth
Seth in 2011
8th Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh High Court
In office 5 August 1991 – 20 October 1992
Preceded by	P. C. B. Menon
Succeeded by	Shashi Kant Seth
Judge, Delhi High Court
In office 25 July 1978 – 4 August 1991
Personal details
Born	(1930-10-20)20 October 1930 Lucknow, United Provinces, British India
Died	5 May 2017(2017-05-05) (aged 86) Noida, India
Spouse	Prem Nath Seth
Children	3; including Vikram Seth
Occupation	Judge

Leila Seth (20 October 1930 – 5 May 2017) was an Indian judge who served as the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court and became the first woman to become Chief Justice of a state High Court, Himachal Pradesh High Court, on 5 August 1991.^[1] She was also the first woman to be designated as a senior counsel by the Supreme Court of India.^[2] She sat on a number of enquiry commissions, including one into the death of 'Biscuit Baron' Rajan Pillai, and was also a part of the three-member bench of the Justice Verma Committee that was established to overhaul India's rape laws in the aftermath of the infamous 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. She was a member of the 15th Law Commission of India from 1997 to 2000, and was responsible for the amendments to the Hindu Succession Act that gave equal rights to daughters in joint family property.^[3]