Who Is Sonal Patil, Pune Judge Set To Lead LGBTQ+ Pride Parade On June 8?
Pune's District Judge Sonal Patil launched the Nyaya Samhita Project to offer legal aid and spread awareness about government schemes among marginalised communities
In a significant show of support for the LGBTQ+ community, the District Judge of Pune will not only participate in but also lead the upcoming Pride Parade in the city scheduled for Sunday, June 8, 2025. Her decision to take part in the rally has surprised many and is being hailed as a powerful gesture toward inclusivity and equality.
While the LGBTQ+ community has long fought a legal battle for recognition—culminating in a historic Supreme Court verdict—social acceptance remains a challenge. The Yutak Charitable Trust's Pune Pride, held to raise awareness and visibility, is expected to be particularly special this year with the active involvement of the judiciary.
The Pune Pride 2025 March, organised by the Yutak Charitable Trust, is making headlines for the participation of Sonal S. Patil, Secretary of the Pune District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and District Judge, who will join the march as a co-grand marshal.
With over 15 years of experience in the judiciary, Judge Patil has expressed strong support for the LGBTQ+ community and their ongoing struggle for equality. 'Inclusivity is essential for a free and just society," she said. 'When a person feels accepted, their confidence, motivation, and productivity increase," she added.
An Indian Express report highlights that inclusivity, according to Patil, promotes diversity and fosters a sense of belonging. She noted, 'When individuals feel included, they are more likely to experience a sense of belonging, which can boost their confidence, motivation, and productivity."
District Judge Sonal Patil has served in various judicial capacities across Maharashtra. In 2019, she was promoted to Deputy Registrar of the Bombay High Court and later appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the Supreme Court of India. Since 2023, she has been serving as the Secretary of the Pune District Legal Services Authority (DLSA). Judge Patil is also pursuing a PhD in Cyber Law from Bharati Vidyapeeth.
Settlement Of Cases Through Lok Adalats
Under the leadership of Judge Sonal Patil, more than 7.26 lakh cases have been resolved through National Lok Adalat, with settlements amounting to approximately Rs 2,698 crore. The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) has also been actively supporting the LGBTQ+ community through a range of services, including free legal aid, counseling, awareness programs on legal rights and collaboration with NGOs.
'Our role is to ensure that every individual receives dignity and justice under the law," Judge Patil said. Referring to the landmark Navtej Singh Johar case, she noted that the Supreme Court has clearly affirmed the LGBTQ+ community's right to protection from discrimination.
Message To Society
In an interview with the Indian Express about her participation in the Pune Pride March, Judge Sonal Patil said, 'This is not just a step, but a message to society that every person is equal and deserves respect. We must all work together to build an inclusive society."
Patil highlighted that the Supreme Court of India has affirmed the LGBTQ+ community's right to protection against discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity in the Navtej Singh Johar case.
Patil mentioned that the DLSA strives to empower marginalised communities by helping them assert their rights and access justice. 'Our mission is to uphold the rule of law and ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect," she stated.
Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Indian Express
AI sovereignty will be test for India's tech ‘aatmanirbharta'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address this year felt different. His 103-minute oration, the longest of his tenure, was anchored in the language of national sovereignty. At a time when the United States has imposed tariffs on Indian exports, unsettling trade talks, the PM sought to turn the national conversation from negotiation to assertion, and to the deeper emotion of sovereignty. In this vision, citizens are not just beneficiaries but also guardians of that autonomy. Here, sovereignty takes shape in the capacity to build our own fertilisers, batteries, jet engines and defence systems. It finds expression in the symbolic unveiling of the Sudarshan Chakra defence kit, in the pledge of sweeping GST reform, and in the assurance that farmers and households alike will not be left exposed as the push for self-reliance accelerates. For perspective, one must only count the number of senior officials in Delhi who still use foreign-owned 'gmail', despite possessing official '. addresses. There is a temptation to reduce all this to political choreography. Modi's earlier Red Fort addresses highlighted schemes of inclusion, like Jan Dhan, Swachh Bharat, Ujjwala. But this one is cast in the harder register of industrial resurrection and techno-sovereignty. It is meant to rally households as much as boardrooms. But history is unkind to speeches not backed by delivery. The hardest of India's ambition is to stake a meaningful claim in the global race for emerging technologies. The country missed the first wave (Web1 era), not through want of talent but through want of an ecosystem. In the past decades, its best brains, including mathematicians and engineers, left India, while domestic research budgets stayed meagre, patents were scarce, and private investments low. India became the world's back office, designing chips for others, writing code for global companies, and running IT services, but it rarely created its own products or owned valuable patents. In a fast-moving field like technology, where early movers gain lasting advantages, India fell behind on big breakthroughs in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and the hardware-software frontier. Our universities do not yet produce research at scale, and most industries spend too little on R&D. Our brightest youngsters, especially in areas like AI, quantum and Web3, have also been moving abroad for better opportunities and access to global markets, and this slow drain of talent weakens the very idea of technological sovereignty that India now seeks to champion. Catching up will take more than money. It needs a cultural reset, including in the policy world. India has never invested enough in long-term research or built lasting partnerships between universities and industry. Recent government missions remain far too small for the scale of the challenge. The IndiaAI Mission has a budget of Rs 10,371.92 crore and the National Quantum Mission Rs ₹6003.65 crore over eight years. Compared to what is needed to lead in frontier science, these amounts are tiny. Unless the state commits deeper investment and private capital amplifies it, these missions will remain a scaffolding rather than become engines of change. Frontier technologies do not emerge from frugal innovation or Jugaad. The United States created its lead by binding venture capital with defence research and universities. China, for its part, mobilised the state with massive investments across sectors and then drew in private capital to accelerate research and commercialisation. India has yet to frame AI as core infrastructure rather than a promising sector. To re-enter the race, it will need patient public capital to underwrite risk, regulation that rewards open experimentation, and a cultural shift that prizes invention over execution alone. The next few months will matter less for headline numbers like GDP or inflation, and more for how quickly promises turn into action. If we see ground being broken for chip plants and wider AI ecosystem investments, people will believe the momentum is real. If farmers, small businesses and everyday consumers begin to feel the benefit of GST reform, the idea of shared self-reliance will carry weight. Emotional sovereignty can be a deep moat, but no political or policy fortress stands without delivery. In an era where technology shapes both economic power and national security, India's independence will be measured by the labs and factories built, research funded and commercialised, and AI platforms and ecosystems that are not only homegrown but also globally relevant. The writer is a corporate advisor and author of Family and Dhanda
The Hindu
4 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Supreme Court affirms HC order quashing FIR in Mohan Delkar death case
The Supreme Court on Monday (August 18, 2025) did not intervene in the quashing of a suicide abetment case in connection with the death of Member of Parliament Mohan Delkar. The Bombay High Court had quashed the case registered against nine persons accused in the case, including Praful Khoda Patel, the Administrator of the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep. A Bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran affirmed the High Court order of September 2022. A Division Bench of the High Court had quashed the case on petitions filed by the administrator Praful Khoda Patel, former District Collector Sandeep Singh, former Superintendent of Police Sharad Darade, then Deputy Collector Apurva Sharma, Manasvi Jain (Sub-Divisional Officer), Manoj Patel (Police Inspector, Silvassa), Rohit Yadav (official of Dadra Haveli administration), Dilip Patel (a revenue official in Silvassa) and Fattesingh (political leader), to quash the FIR against them. On February 22, 2021, Delkar, 58, a seven-term parliamentarian, was found dead in a hotel room in Marine Drive. An FIR was registered on March 9, 2021 by the Marine Drive police station under section 306 (abetment to suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation of offence in order to commit extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The High Court had quashed the FIR, saying it was 'a fit case for the court to quash the case to prevent abuse of law' Suicide prevention helpline: Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health. Telephone: 011-4076 9002, Monday-Saturday. (Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek help and counselling by calling the helpline numbers here)
Scroll.in
34 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Guwahati Police summons ‘The Wire' editor despite Supreme Court protection
The Crime Branch in Guwahati has issued a summons to The Wire 's founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan in a first information report pertaining to an article on Operation Sindoor. The summons, issued on August 12, came despite the Supreme Court granting protection from arrest to Varadarajan and members of the foundation running the news outlet in another FIR filed by the Assam Police. Ankur Jain, the joint commissioner of police in Guwahati, told Scroll that the summons was issued as the Supreme Court order had come on a case filed in 'some other district'. In the latest notice, Varadarajan has been directed to appear before the investigating officer at the Crime Branch Police Station in Panbazar on August 22 at 11.30 am. The earlier case against Varadarajan was registered at Morigaon police station on July 11 under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. It followed the publication of an article about Operation Sindoor titled ''IAF Lost Fighter Jets to Pak Because of Political Leadership's Constraints': Indian Defence Attache'. The fresh summons issued to Varadarajan cites the same charges, in addition to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections pertaining to promoting enmity between different groups, publishing false or misleading information and criminal conspiracy. On August 12, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi granted protection from arrest to Vardarajan while hearing a writ petition challenging the constitutionality of Section 152. The petition was filed by the Foundation for Independent Journalism, which owns The Wire, and Varadarajan. The petitioners argued that the law was a repackaged version of the colonial sedition law. The bench issued a notice to the Union government and tagged the plea with another petition challenging the validity of the provision. Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the news article was a factual report of a seminar organised by a university in Indonesia and statements made by an Indian defence attaché on the military tactics used during Operation Sindoor. She added that the article also carried the Indian embassy's response to the defence attaché's remarks, which had also been reported by several other news outlets. In May 2022, the Supreme Court had ordered proceedings and criminal prosecutions for sedition under Section 124A of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code to be kept in abeyance. Critics have argued in the Supreme Court, in a separate matter, that Section 124A was slipped in again into the law in the guise of Section 152 when the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced the Indian Penal Code in July 2024.
