Sripathi, a 23-year-old Malayali woman from Yelagiri Hills, Tirupattur district, has become the first civil judge in her community. She hails from Puliyur village, which is close to Jawadhu hills in the Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu. She conquered the difficulties and traveled over 200 kilometers to Chennai in November 2023 to take her exam.
Only two days after giving birth to her daughter, she took the Tamil Nadu Civil Judge test, making her incredible achievement all the more remarkable. Her image of herself holding her infant daughter in front of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission's office has gone viral, honoring both her accomplishment just before childbirth and her tribal identity.
Chief Minister MK Stalin lauded her accomplishment, stating, “I am delighted to see a young woman from a tribal community in a mountain village, without many amenities, achieve this status. 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!”
The DMK government's Dravidian Model, which gives preference to Tamil-medium students for government posts, contributed to the selection of people like Sripathi for positions as judges. Sripathi's significant accomplishment has been made possible by her tenacity, courage, and the unwavering support of her family and friends.
Sripathi's selection was announced after vernacular media highlighted her achievement, followed by a tribal community celebration in Jawadhu Hills. She was initially not aware of her selection.
