New Delhi: ThePrint’s Apoorva Mandhani has received the 2026 Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award in the Digital (Print) category for her two-part series ‘All in the family’ on how lineage runs deep in India’s courts. She was presented the award Sunday by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan Lokur, who was chief guest at the ceremony organised by the Danish Siddiqui Foundation.
Part 1 of her investigation into the judiciary looks at how the majority of sitting Supreme Court judges have or had a family member in the legal fraternity.
It was found that at least 30 percent of sitting judges are related to former judges, and another 30 percent have parents or grandparents who have been lawyers. Also, at least 60 percent of sitting judges have children who have studied law, with some of them practising in Delhi and in various other courts across the country.
Part 2 of the series looks at high court judges related to a sitting or former judge, or who come from a family of lawyers.
In this part, Mandhani found that every three sitting high court judges in India was related to a sitting or former judge, or comes from a family of lawyers. Of the total 687 permanent judges of the 25 high courts in India, as of 15 March 2025, at least 102 judges were related to former or sitting judges, and another 117 were judges whose fathers, grandfathers or relatives were members of the legal fraternity.
The information was collected from publicly available resources and the respective high courts from where the judges were elevated, as well as sources from the Supreme Court.
The Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award honors journalists who embody integrity, courage, empathy, and truth. It celebrates reporting that pushes boundaries, confronts difficult realities, and delivers impactful storytelling that informs, educates, and inspires change.
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