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Indu Malhotra Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth14 March 1956

Age65 Years

BirthplaceBangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka

ProfessionRetired Judge and senior counsel of the Supreme Court of India

NationalityIndian

FamilyFather - Om Prakash Malhotra; Mother - Satya Malhotra; Brother - 1; Sisters - 2

Indu Malhotra Biography

Indu Malhotra is a distinguished jurist and senior counsel who made history as the first woman lawyer elevated directly to the Supreme Court of India. A sc

Early life and background

Indu Malhotra was born on 14 March 1956 in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka. She is the youngest child of Om Prakash Malhotra, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, and Satya Malhotra. The family later moved to New Delhi, where she grew up and completed her schooling at Carmel Convent School.

She pursued higher education at the University of Delhi. At Lady Shri Ram College she completed a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science and a master’s degree in Political Science. She then studied law at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, completing her LL.B. in the early 1980s. During her law studies she combined teaching with study, working as a lecturer at Delhi University colleges including Miranda House and Vivekananda College while attending classes in the evenings.

Career

Indu Malhotra began practicing law in 1983 and went on to spend more than three decades litigating at the Supreme Court of India. She cleared the Advocate-on-Record examination in 1988, securing the top rank in that challenging qualifying test. Over the years she built a reputation for expertise in arbitration law and acted for a range of statutory and institutional clients, including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.

In 2007 she was designated a senior advocate by the Supreme Court, becoming only the second woman to receive that honour after Justice Leila Seth. Her practice also included public-interest work: she served as amicus for matters such as the restoration of Jaipur as a heritage city and represented the SaveLIFE Foundation in litigation that led to directions protecting Good Samaritans who assist road accident victims.

Malhotra authored a book on arbitration, following in her father’s footsteps as a legal writer. Her work and advocacy covered issues ranging from road-safety measures to guardianship rights; she played an important role in a 2015 Supreme Court decision that recognized unmarried mothers’ legal guardianship of their children without the father’s consent.

In April 2018 Indu Malhotra made history when she became the first woman lawyer to be elevated to the Supreme Court as a judge. Her elevation was notable both because she came to the bench as a practising advocate and because of the symbolic milestone it represented for women in the Indian legal profession.

Public profile

Throughout her career Malhotra has been active on matters touching legal practice and courtroom culture. In 2012 she was instrumental in raising concerns about sexual harassment of female advocates in court complexes and urged the establishment of complaint mechanisms; the Supreme Court subsequently formed a committee on the issue that included her as a member.

Her legal specialism in arbitration and her authorship of The Law and Practice of Arbitration in India are prominent aspects of her professional profile. She has also been associated with efforts to regulate dangerous protruding loads on vehicles and successfully litigated for measures that led to regulatory action in 2014.

Latest updates

In January 2022 the Supreme Court appointed Indu Malhotra to head a five-member panel to investigate a security breach affecting the Prime Minister’s motorcade in Punjab. Her experience as a jurist and senior counsel has continued to be sought for high-profile inquiries and commissions.

Personal life

Indu Malhotra’s background is rooted in a family with a strong legal tradition. Her father, Om Prakash Malhotra, was a senior advocate and author of legal texts. She has one brother who is an advocate and two sisters who pursued advanced degrees—one in literature and another in law. Public information on her marital status and spouse has not been provided in the available material.

Interests

Outside the courtroom she is reported to enjoy reading and travelling. Her stated faith is Hinduism and her community background is listed as Khatri.

Legacy

Indu Malhotra’s career spans decades of advocacy, scholarship and jurisprudence. As a pioneering woman in the highest echelons of India’s legal system—both as one of the relatively few designated senior advocates and as the first practising woman lawyer elevated to the Supreme Court—she is widely regarded for her contributions to arbitration law and for taking up public-interest legal work.
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Recent Work

Head of Inquiry Panel into Prime Minister's Motorcade Security Breach

Appointed to lead a five-member panel by the Supreme Court to investigate a security breach involving the Prime Minister's motorcade in Punjab.

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. Became the first woman lawyer to be elevated as a Supreme Court judge (April 2018)
  2. Designated senior advocate by the Supreme Court (2007), the second woman to receive the honour
  3. Secured first place in the Advocate-on-Record examination (1988)
  4. Authored The Law and Practice of Arbitration in India
  5. Represented statutory bodies such as CSIR, SEBI and ICAR
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Indu Malhotra born?

14 March 1956

What is Indu Malhotra known for?

Retired Judge and senior counsel of the Supreme Court of India