Its not only necessary to apply law but to understand impact: Delhi HC justice

Delhi High Court bids farewell to Justice Rekha Palli, who championed women's rights in armed forces and delivered significant rulings during her tenure.

The Delhi high court bid farewell to justice Rekha Palli who reached superannuation on Friday. In her speech, Justice Palli spoke about her initial days as a lawyer, highlighting the challenges of being a woman representing members of the armed forces.

Justice Rekha Palli.

“My legal career was largely built on army matters. Service law, pension disputes and cases related to defence personnel became my area of expertise. When I first started taking up these cases, there were very few lawyers practising in this field, and even fewer women. It wasn’t easy. People often assume that army matters are a niche area best left to select few men, but I was determined to make my mark,” justice Palli said.

Speaking on the role of a judge, she said it is not only necessary to “apply law but to understand its impact.”

“Technology has revolutionised how we work making processes more efficient, but at the same time reminding us that at the heart of every legal matter lies a human story, one that no machine can ever comprehend,” she added.

Before being elevated as a high court judge on May 15, 2017, justice Palli played an instrumental role in securing permanent commission for women in the armed forces by representing them before the Delhi high court. In 2010, the high court in a landmark verdict allowed permanent commission to women officers in the armed forces, granting them an opportunity to join and continue like their male counterparts.

In February 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the high court’s verdict ruling that women officers who joined the Indian Army through short service commission are entitled to permanent commission even if they have more than 14 years of service. It also held that there cannot be an “absolute bar” on women officers being considered for command appointments, paving the way for their elevation to such roles.

Chief justice DK Upadhyay said that justice Palli, with her rulings, upheld the dignity of the chair she sat on and her retirement would leave a “void” in the institution.

Justice Palli’s tenure as a high court judge was marked by significant rulings. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was a part of the bench that had issued various directives to ensure equitable access to medical facilities for Delhi residents.

In May 2023, a bench she was part of ruled that a woman’s right to prove adultery will prevail over the privacy rights of her husband.

In February this year, a bench headed by her had overturned an arbitral award that had favoured the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in a $1.7 billion dispute with Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) over alleged extraction of gas from ONGCs adjoining fields in the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin, saying that the same was “patently illegal” and against the “public policy of India”.