Delhi-born lawyer becomes first woman judge of Zambia’s Supreme Court

The Story in Brief

Justice Abha Nayar Patel, the first woman judge of the Zambian Supreme Court, addressed the Indian Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association during a visit to New Delhi. Speaking in Hindi, she called the reception one of the 'golden moments' of her life. Patel, born in Delhi, moved to Zambia at age seven in 1973 when her parents migrated for work. She graduated in law from the University of Zambia, earned a master's from Cambridge, and was admitted to the Zambian Bar in 1989.

According to the Times of India, she was appointed a High Court judge in 2019, elevated to the Court of Appeal in April 2023, and became a Supreme Court judge on May 27, 2026. She is also a mountaineer who has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro. At the event, she cautioned against using AI in judicial decisions, saying it would bring 'historical bias'. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said technology has improved access to justice but warned that AI cannot replace 'judicial conscience'.