CHENNAI: Justice RN Manjula of the Madras High Court said that she was inspired to study law after being moved by the character played by actress Sujatha in the film 'Vidhi'.

Justice Manjula is retiring on the 15th of this month. A farewell ceremony was organised by the High Court.

Speaking at the event, Tamil Nadu Advocate General PS Raman, in his farewell address, described Justice Manjula as a “lioness” who fought fiercely for the rights of women and children. He pointed out that the Madras High Court, which has the highest number of women judges in the country, is today losing one such woman judge.

Over the past five years, Justice Manjula has delivered judgments in 28,934 cases. The Advocate General also noted that she was the first judge to appoint a woman Mace bearer for herself.

Justice Manjula said she often wondered whether she had chosen the law or whether the law had chosen her.

She recalled that after completing her undergraduate degree in science, she had secured admission for postgraduate science courses, but chose to pursue law after being inspired by Sujatha’s role in Vidhi.

Following Justice Manjula’s retirement, the strength of judges at the Madras High Court will come down to 52, while the number of vacancies will rise to 23.