About: Kapila Hingorani

Pushpa Kapila Hingorani was an Indian lawyer who is regarded as "Mother of Public Interest Litigation" (PIL). As per then prevailing laws, a petition could be filed only by a victim or a relative. Kapila and her husband Nirmal Hingorani wanted to represent the undertrial prisoners in Bihar. The couple acting on a novel idea, filed a habeas corpus petition on the prisoners’ behalf before the Supreme Court of India. Two weeks after Kapila argued the case in court, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Bihar government, which led to the release of all the victims in the case, and eventually about 40,000 undertrials across the country. The landmark case came to be known as the Hussainara Khatoon case 1979. Hussainara was one of the six women prisoners. This earned her the title the "Mother