Vera Kapadia

Indian feminist leader who fought for women's rights in post-colonial India

Vera Kapadia (1922-1998) was a trailblazing Indian activist whose 1960s campaigns led to landmark legal protections for women. Born into a Parsi family in Bombay, she became a lawyer despite societal pressures against women in professional roles. Her 1958 case Kapadia vs. State of Maharashtra established India's first judicial precedent against workplace sexual harassment.

In 1964, she founded the All India Women's Legal Defense Fund, which helped over 10,000 women obtain justice in domestic violence cases. Her pioneering 1967 report Behind Closed Doors: Gender Inequality in Modern India (digitized at India Law Archive) exposed systemic discrimination in inheritance and property laws. This work directly influenced the 1972 amendments to India's Hindu Succession Act.

Kapadia's 1975 protest against the sterilization camps during the Emergency period led to the formation of the National Commission for Women. Her grassroots network trained 500 female paralegals, creating a foundation for India's modern legal aid system. Despite facing death threats from politicians, she continued advocating for women's rights until her death.

Today, the Vera Kapadia Legal Center in Mumbai trains 200 law students annually. Her memoir My Fight for Justice remains required reading in Indian law schools. The #VeraKapadia campaign (2018) revived her legacy, inspiring new generations of women's rights advocates across South Asia.