The woman rewriting the rules
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- Sapana Pradhan Malla, named in disappointment, grew up defying gender norms in Nepal.
- She is now the acting Chief Justice of Nepal's Supreme Court, a position she is poised to hold permanently.
- Malla has a history of challenging unreasonable rules and advocating for women's rights, aiming to reform the legal system from within.
The story of Sapana Pradhan Malla, the acting Chief Justice of Nepal's Supreme Court, is one of resilience and a lifelong commitment to challenging the status quo. Her very name, 'Sapana' (dream), given in disappointment by parents hoping for a son, foreshadowed a life of defying expectations and pursuing her own path.
That’s probably why my whole nature is a boy’s. I always made my gang with the boys.
Malla's journey from a village girl who preferred trousers to boys' games to potentially leading Nepal's judiciary is a powerful narrative of personal conviction. Her childhood was marked by a refusal to accept unreasonable rules, a trait that has defined her career. This inherent rebelliousness, coupled with an early awareness of the differential treatment of women in her household, propelled her towards law, not with a specific case in mind, but with a deep-seated desire to reshape the system.
Even then, I felt that I had to rebel. I should have been able to wear what I wanted — and I did.
As the most senior judge, Malla's ascent to the acting Chief Justice role, and potentially the permanent position, is a significant moment for Nepal, which has had only one woman Chief Justice before. Her story, as highlighted by The Kathmandu Post, is not just about breaking personal barriers but about embodying the principle that rules, if unjust, are meant to be challenged and reformed. Her life serves as an inspiration, demonstrating how individual determination can pave the way for broader societal change within Nepal's legal landscape.
She was not the kind of child who stored these observations quietly.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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