KOCHI: The state, which is home to the first woman High Court judge, Anna Chandy, and the first woman judge of the Supreme Court Fathima Beevi, has something else to boast about. Now, Sophy Thomas, the principal district and sessions judge of Thrissur, has become the first woman to be appointed the registrar-general of the Kerala High Court. She replaces Karunakaran Nair Haripal, who was sworn in additional judge recently.
Hailing from an agrarian family at Vazhakulam here, Sophy started by practising law in the state judicial service, before becoming a district judge and later joining the higher judiciary. “I took up law accidentally. I wanted to be a doctor,” she said. “However, destiny took me on a different path,” said Sophy, who did her LLB from Government Law College, Ernakulam, and her LLM from an off-campus centre of MG University.
“Another thing that prompted me to take up law was the human side of the profession. You come in contact with people with myriad issues and when you are able to solve them, you feel satisfied,” she said.
As an example, she recalled an incident that took place early in her career. “A woman, who was mentally disturbed, was found abandoning her child in the rain and escaping. This was in Perumbavoor. I saw this and directed the authorities to take the child and place him with the SOS. I am happy that I took the initiative. That child is now 24 years old and has found his way in the world,” she said.