Suman Bodani becomes Pakistan's first Hindu civil judge

HYDERABAD: For the first time in Pakistan, a female Hindu judge, Suman Pawan Bodani, has been appointed to the civil and judicial magistrate.

As per details, Ms. Bodani stood 54th on the merit list for the appointment of civil judge/judicial magistrate.

Hailing from Sindh’s Shahdadkot area, the young advocate completed her intermediate from her native town and then received her Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree from Hyderabad before moving to Karachi to pursue Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST).

Suman Pawan Bodani becomes Pakistan’s 1st female judge belonging to the Hindu community. Via Pakistan Hindu Youth Council. Daughter of Dr. Pawan Podani, Suman belongs to Shahdadkot. She stood 54th in merit list for the appointment of Civil Judge/Judicial Magistrate. pic.twitter.com/ofqgwSA6Kt

— Cultural Maverick (@CulturalMaverik) January 27, 2019

In an interview with BBC Urdu, Bodani said she belongs to an underdeveloped rural area of Sindh, where she has seen the poor struggling against several challenges. “They cannot even afford to lodge cases. This is the reason behind my decision of joining law so I can bring justice to them.”

Last year, a woman from the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy was elected to the Senate for the first time in Pakistan. Hailing from Dhana Gam in Nagarparkar, Tharparkar, 39 years old Krishna Kumari Kohli was held for three years as bonded labor along with her family by a landlord in Umerkot.

The victory of Krishna Kumari in the Senate election stirred a wave of optimism on social media, as Pakistanis celebrated the rare success for a woman from a marginalised community at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy.