Supreme court lawyer Rekha Palli has been on a life-long mission to fight for the rights of soldiers. The fact that Palli is married into a family of lawyers is an added advantage.
“I joined my father-in-law in court just a month after my marriage and it is he who taught me the nitty-gritty of the legal profession,” Palli says. “But I do discuss my cases with my husband and seek his advice,” she adds.
Palli studied law at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi, in 1986, and specialises in cases of soldiers’ rights.
Speaking about the satisfaction that she derives from her work, the lawyer cites the example of a case where promotion was denied to a soldier who was declared medically unfit after he lost his toe to a snake bite. After she won the case, the man was given his due promotion.
Palli is also fighting to seek permanent commission for women in the Army. Women are inducted into the Army as officers under the Short Service Commission for a maximum period of 14 years, whereas their male counterparts are eligible to receive permanent commission after five years.
The government has filed an appeal against giving permanent commission to women
in the Army and the matter has been pending in the Supreme Court for the past
five years.
Palli, who is an avid traveller and has been to the borders of the country, says it is saddening to see how our soldiers are made to live under such pathetic conditions. “These visits have encouraged me to continue fighting for their rights,” she says.
Palli was born and raised in Delhi and loves the city for its broad-thinking. “As a woman, I am proud to be a Delhiite. Here, a woman has the freedom to choose a profession of her choice.”
Palli’s daughter, who is working for a consultancy firm in Mumbai, is the only one in the family who chose not to study law because “it’s a 24-hour job”.