First Kapila Hingorani Dialogue event takes place

A distinguished South Asian graduate will be honoured in a new annual lecture series that will commemorate her pioneering legal career.

The Kapila Hingorani Dialogues celebrate the accomplishments of one of the University’s alumna, Pushpa Kapila Hingorani (BA 1951, Hon 1998).

Born in born in Nairobi, Kenya, Pushpa was the first South Asian woman to graduate from University College Cardiff in 1951. She studied English, Economics and History, before embarking on a distinguished legal career in India where she became known as ‘the mother of public interest litigation’.

One of her prominent achievements was the landmark Hussainara Khatoon case. In 1979, a   newspaper article revealed the inhumane conditions in which prisoners, including six women, were languishing in jails whilst awaiting trial. Before Pushpa’s intervention, Indian law stipulated that such a detention could only be challenged by a victim or a relative. Instead, Pushpa successfully argued the case before the Supreme Court of India, leading to the release of all the victims, and eventually to the release of about 40,000 detained prisoner across the country.

In 2017, Puspha became the first woman lawyer to have her portrait hung in India's Supreme Court library.

The new dialogue event will take place annually, attracting eminent speakers to discuss the issues of law and justice that were of such importance to Pushpa’s work and which remain of critical importance to the global south.

The first dialogue on 13 November 2024 will focus on alternative justice systems. Leading the discussion will be Pushpa’s son, Aman Hingorani, himself a practicing advocate of the Supreme Court of India, and the School of Law and Politics’  Leverhulme Visiting Professor, Justice Professor Joel Ngugi.

Professor Ambreena Manji, Dean of International for Africa at the University said: “I have long thought that we should mark Pushpa Kapila Hingorani’s connection with Cardiff from where she embarked on her distinguished career in law.

“The award of a prestigious Leverhulme Visiting Professorship to Justice Professor Joel Ngugi of the Kenya Court of Appeal presented an excellent opportunity to hold the University’s inaugural Kapila Hingorani Dialogue.

“We look forward to welcoming Pushpa’s son, Dr Aman Hingorani, for the conversation with our Leverhulme Professor on their shared expertise on access to justice in the global south.

“We also warmly welcome to the event Pushpa’s wider family together with other distinguished visitors from Kenya, India and the United Kingdom.”

As part of his visit, Professor Ngugi will also deliver a distinguished GW4 Leverhulme lecture on ‘Access to Justice and Kenya’s Transformative Constitution’ hosted by Bristol University on 1^st November. He will also speak before the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Justice at Westminster, and has been invited to speak in the British Academy’s Global Perspectives Series, both in December.

The Kapila Hingorani Dialogue event on 13^th November starts at 6pm. You can book your place here.