Tribal woman from Tamil Nadu’s backward hills picked as Civil Judge, taking exam days after having a baby

Sources close to Sripathi's family said she took the exam in Chennai, 250 kilometres away, in November 2023.

tamil nadu tribal woman becomes civil judge

23-year-old Sripathi's village organised a welcome ceremony after her selection to the post – with drums, garlands and a grand procession.

The selection of Sripathi, a 23-year-old tribal woman from Puliyur village in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district, as a civil judge has caught the attention of many, including the Chief Minister. Not just because she comes from one of the most backward hilly regions in the state, but because she took the exam just days after delivering a baby.

“I am delighted to see a young woman from a tribal community in a mountain village, without many amenities, achieve this status,” wrote Chief Minister M K Stalin on social media. He said the DMK’s “Dravidian Model government” had introduced a policy prioritising Tamil-medium students in government jobs, through which Sripathi was selected as a judge. “I am proud to learn this and extend my congratulations to her mother and husband for their unwavering support. For those in Tamil Nadu who hesitate even to utter the word social justice, the success of individuals like Sripathi is Tamil Nadu’s response.”

While Sripathi or her immediate relatives were not available for comment, sources close to the family said she took the exam in Chennai, 250 kilometres away, in November 2023 and attended the interview for the final selection a few days ago. They said her village also organised a welcome ceremony after her selection to the post – with drums, garlands and a grand procession.

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Sripathi completed her education in Yelagiri Hills before pursuing BA and Bachelor of Law.

A note written by Mahalakshmi, a renowned Tamil teacher, on Facebook congratulated her relatives and friends for ensuring her presence at the exam just days after delivery, like “a parachute fitted to her wings…”

State sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin also congratulated her: “We are happy that she has been selected as a Judge through our Dravidian Model Government’s Ordinance of giving priority to government jobs for those who have studied in the Tamil medium. Especially in the difficult environment of the examination, which happened just two days after the birth of her child, her determination to risk her life and travel a long distance to attend the examination is commendable. Let all her dreams come true; she proves that education is the only indestructible asset.”

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