Saudamini Pethe is First Deaf Lawyer of Bar Council of Delhi

New Delhi: Bar Council of Delhi has enrolled Saudamini Pethe as its first deaf advocate. This 45-year-old female lawyer will argue her cases in courts through an Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter. It is hoped that she will serve as an inspiration for deaf youngsters interested in the legal profession.

Soudamini is interested to work for the rights of the hearing impaired and help them gain access to education, healthcare, and justice.

Soudamini lost her hearing power at the age of nine due to meningitis.

Senior advocate K K Manan, chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi, said “We have given the licence to her to practice, which is rarely given in such a situation”.

Born in Mumbai’s Dombivli, she had to fight her way to get enrolled as a lawyer.

Presently, she is the director of the All India Foundation of Deaf Women and a trustee at the Access Mantra Foundation. She pursued LLB at the Institute of Law and Research, Faridabad and completed her course in August this year, after which she got enrolled with the Bar in November.