New Delhi: 13 March will remain a red-letter day for 26-year-old law researcher Pragya Samal. The daughter of Ajay Kumar Samal, a cook on the Supreme Court roster for nearly four decades, she was floored Wednesday when justices of the court feted her for securing admission — and scholarships — to several law schools in the US, including Ivy League ones.
Led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, the justices assembled at the judges’ lounge before the start of the day’s work and gave her a standing ovation. They also gifted her three books on the Indian Constitution that were signed by all judges of the top court.
The justices also congratulated her parents for their daughter’s achievement,
Samal wants to pursue a masters’ degree from the US and has been accepted by Columbia Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School as well as Chicago Law School, New York University, the UC Berkeley School of Law and Michigan Law School. The last institution has offered her a scholarship of $55,000.
Samal, who is currently working as a law researcher at the Supreme Court’s Centre for Research and Planning (CRP), was speechless at the gesture shown by the top court judges, she told ThePrint. The words of encouragement, she adds, had motivated her further to take up the challenges that lie ahead.
From Odisha, her father joined the Supreme Court as a cook in 1996 and has since worked with several sitting judges. This extended association with the court nurtured Samal’s ambition to become a lawyer. She graduated in law from Amity University in 2021 and worked as a clerk with a sitting top court justice till she got the opportunity to join the CRP in February 2023.
Why law? Samal says her background had a profound impact on her decision to take up law as a career. “I was always fascinated by lawyers and judges,” she says.
Her interest deepened as she graduated in commerce from Delhi University before studying at Amity. “The unique blend of commerce and law subjects further honed my interest,” she recollects.
Her urge to pursue a master’s abroad stemmed from her belief that a “postgraduate degree in law, which essentially involves Socratic dialogue, seminars and simulations” would enable her to learn the art better. She believes it would equip her with the necessary legal research and written advocacy.
Samal credits her association with the Supreme Court for building her aspirations and contributing to her journey.
“Working with a judge for about one-and-a-half years exposed me to the widest possible array of cases. It enabled me to closely observe the nitty-gritty of judicial decision-making. Even the research assistantship at the CRP has been a rewarding experience in many ways,” she says.
The budding lawyer was hesitant when asked who her role model was. “It’s difficult to choose just one. Many seasoned lawyers and great judges, whom I have observed and followed in court, have inspired me. But I consider myself a disciple of Hon’ble Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and former judge, Justice R.V. Raveendran,” she adds.
Samal is eager to enhance her skills as a lawyer advocating for civil rights and wishes to pursue constitutional and public law in the US.
She also harbours the ambition to serve the judiciary, which inspired her to study law and pursue it as a career.
(Edited Tikli Basu)
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