CJI, SC Judges Honour Cook's Daughter For Bagging US Scholarships

CJI Chandrachud along with other apex court judges honoured Pragya, the daughter of a Supreme Court cook for securing two scholarships to pursue her masters in the US.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and all other Supreme Court judges on Wednesday felicitated Pragya Samal, daughter of the apex court's cook after she secured scholarships from at least two of the six US universities that offered her admission into the LLM programs at their campus. The 26-year-old who has been working as a researcher at the Centre for Research and Planning in Supreme Court was taken aback by their gesture when the CJI lauded her for her achievements.

Pragya Samal is the daughter of Promila Samal, a homemaker, and Ajay Kumar Samal, who works as a Supreme Court attendant and a cook at the official residence of one of the SC judges. 

She received admission offers from the University of California Berkeley School of Law, the University of Michigan Law School, Columbia Law School, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and Chicago Law School. Out of these six universities, Michigan Law School and Berkely School of Law offered her scholarships, Indian Express reported.

The judges, including the Chief Justice of India, were all waiting in the judge's lounge to congratulate Pragya on securing the scholarships to pursue her masters in law at the universities in the US. 

"I was just told to come with my parents. I was told that the CJI wants to meet. When I went there, it was a surprise to me. All the judges were there in the corridor. It was not just the CJI, all the judges were there," Indian Express quoted her saying.

She also stated that the CJI and the judges met her before the court hours, gave her a standing ovation, and even feliciated her parents. The CJI gifted her three books on the Indian Constitution, signed by all the judges of the Supreme Court.

After felicitating Pragya, CJI stated: "We know Pragya has managed something on her own, but we will ensure she manages to get whatever is required. We expect that she should come back to serve the country."

"It was my privilege and I felt really honoured. Everybody congratulated me. Asked me which law school I will choose," she added.
Talking about her unexpected meeting with the Chief Justice of India which she says was "a huge thing" for her, she stated that he was the one who inspired her to enter into the legal profession. 

"With the live streaming of court hearings, everyone can watch him (Justice Chandrachud) speaking. He encourages young lawyers and his words are like gems," PTI quoted Pragya saying.