Cornelia Sorabji

Cornelia Sorabji is the first Indian woman graduate from Bombay University, the first woman to study law at Oxford University, the first female advocate in India and the first woman to practice law in India and Britain.

Sorabji was one of nine children of Reverend Sorabji Karsedji and his wife Francina Ford, who had been adopted and raised by a British couple. She was born on 15 November 1866 in Devlali. Sorabji had five surviving sisters and a brother, and two more brothers that died in infancy. She spent her childhood initially in Belgaum and later in Pune. She received her education both at home and at mission schools.

Cornelia Sorabji was denied a scholarship to study in England, allegedly because of her gender. She had to petition to the National Indian Association to help her complete her studies. Life at Oxford too was not easy for Sorabji as she was the first woman to study law, she was not allowed to write her exam by her London examiner and She was bullied by the men in Oxford. She finally graduated in 1892.

She returned to India in 1894 to practice law in her own country. Her breakthrough came after 10 years since she struggled in India, and in 1904, she was appointed the Lady Assistant to the Court of Wards of Bengal. She started to work in the provinces of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Assam. It is estimated that in her next 20 years of service, Sorabji helped over 600 women and children.

Sorabji retired in 1929 and moved to London, where she died in July 1954. Years later, Sorabji's incomparable talent and personality was finally recognized in India and abroad. In 2012, she was honoured at Lincoln's Inn in London.


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