Born: 15 November 1866, India
Died: 6 July 1954
Country most active: India
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Cornelia Sorabji was a prominent Indian lawyer, social reformer, and writer. She was the first female graduate from Bombay University and the first woman to study law at Oxford University. After her studies, she returned to India and worked to support the purdahnashins, women secluded from the external male world, but was initially unable to represent them in court due to her gender.
To challenge this, Sorabji took the LLB examination at Bombay University in 1897 and the pleader’s examination at Allahabad High Court in 1899, becoming the first female advocate in India. Her status as a barrister was officially recognized in 1923, following a change in the law that allowed women to practice.
Sorabji was also active in various social service organizations, including the National Council for Women in India, the Federation of University Women, and the Bengal League of Social Service for Women. She opposed adopting Western viewpoints in the Indian women’s movement and preferred gradual social reform. Sorabji believed education for all women was essential for effective political reform. Her support for the British Raj and purdah, and her opposition to Indian self-rule, limited her ability to gain support for further social reforms. Her publications, influential in the early 20th century, reflect her significant impact on Indian society.