Shreya Singhal was all of 21 years in 2012 when two Mumbai girls about her age were arrested for a Facebook post questioning the shutdown in their city to mark the death of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. It could have been her writing the post. It could have been her behind bars.

A discussion with her mother Manali, a senior lawyer in the Supreme Court, followed. Manali reasoned that the law allowed their arrest. Shreya asked how a law could even exist that violated the Constitution. No, Manali tried to reason, that it was not so. Shreya argued back and, finally, Manali said in exasperation: “Okay, as your mother, I may be responsible for setting right all the evils of the world. But I didn’t arrest those girls. If you feel so strongly, why don’t you file a PIL (public interest litigation)?”



Manali thought the argument had ended. But Shreya, with the help of lawyers, prepared a PIL and filed a case within a day and a half.

A few days ago, Shreya, a second-year law student in the Faculty of Law at Delhi University, turned 24. And the Supreme Court judgment is a birthday gift of sorts: For, it says the law that learned lawyers, public servants, Parliamentarians and politicians created was illegal. The apex court said the section infringed on the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Talking to Business Standard over the phone, Shreya said: “It will be quite embarrassing for me to read it (the case as a reference material in LLB course), but I am happy the Supreme Court has upheld the fundamental right of Indian citizens. It’s a great victory for the freedom of speech and it’s a victory for anyone who uses the Internet.”



The Bhandare family to which Shreya belongs is known for its feisty spirit. Her grandmother Sunanda Bhandare, a judge in the Delhi High Court, was well known for reducing some of India’s most experienced lawyers to jelly. Justice Bhandare delivered many landmark judgments, but among the outstanding ones was her ruling on Army Act’s Section 18 that could dismiss army officers from service without enquiries, and was used to sack officers who fell foul of the armed forces bureaucracy.

Shreya has a degree in astrophysics from Bristol University in the UK. However, she has set her sights on becoming a lawyer. Her maternal grandfather Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare was also a senior Supreme Court lawyer who eventually became the Odisha governor.