Meet Kartika Gehlot, the daughter of a Rajasthan High Court judge's driver who cracked the state judiciary exam

During the course of driving various Chief Justices to and from the Rajasthan High Court for over 31 years, Rajendra Gehlot probably dreamed that some day, his daughter would be similarly ferried in the back seat of an official vehicle..Today, Kartika Gehlot is one step closer to that dream, having secured Rank 66 in the Rajasthan Judicial Services Examination..In this interview with Bar & Bench's Khadija Khan, Kartika shares the inspiring story of how she achieved her childhood dream of becoming a judge..Khadija Khan: Congratulations on cracking the exam! First and foremost, what inspired you to become a judge?.Kartika Gehlot: I wanted to become a judge from the 6th standard itself. It was then that I decided I want to don a black coat and venture into the judiciary. For the last 31 years, my father has served as a driver for the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. So in a sense, my environment and surroundings inspired me to pursue this..KK: Tell us a bit about your educational background.KG: I went to St. Austin's Senior Secondary School In Jodhpur. I took Commerce with Maths in high school. Following this, I pursued a five-year BBA.LL.B. degree from Jai Narayan Vyas University in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. I graduated only this year in February..KK: How difficult was the exam? What were the challenges you faced?.KG: I began my preparation during the COVID-19 time, so deriving positive energy from a negative environment was a bit of a challenge. However, the credit goes to my parents, who always provided me with positivity even during tough times.Our University also faced the problem of backlog during the pandemic. The time between the preliminary and main exams was especially challenging, as we had to give exams for two semesters, and this led to a lot of uncertainty. When I was filling up the form, we weren't sure whether we would even get our law degree and complete the course in time for the main exam.During COVID-19, we gave our projects and mid-term exams from home, whereas for the end-term exams, we had to go to the University..KK: Apart from your parents, who are the people who helped you and guided you through the process?.KG: I am extremely thankful to my mentor and former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Govind Mathur along with former District and Sessions Judge Mandal Prasad Bohra. I also received a lot of technical guidance from Advocate Dharmendra Surana with whom I interned for about one-and-a-half years. Apart from this, I would like to thank former IAS officer, Ratan Lahoti Ji who prepared me for the interview and the ex-Principal of my school, Bhojraj Vyas sir. Finally, I would also like to thank my parents and David uncle for teaching me important aspects of general knowledge and current affairs..KK: What aspirations do you have as a judge? What changes do you wish to bring about or implement?.KG: I wish to make justice more easily accessible to the people in a speedy and efficient manner. I want people to become more legally aware of their rights and have a better understanding of the law. My parents have always told me that whoever comes to your court, will come with the hope of getting justice, so never let them down. I also firmly believe that the legal ecosphere can greatly benefit from increasing the number of courts, fast-tracking the appointment of judges and reducing the pendency of cases..KK: As a first-generation legal professional, what are the goals you aim to set? Do you have any advice for people who are trying to enter the profession?.KG: Being a first-generation legal professional myself, I want to say that it is difficult to make it in the legal industry. But not so difficult, right? It can very well be achieved when one is consistent, confident and has the right support system. For me, the support and encouragement came from my parents. If you have that, then it doesn't matter whether or not you're a first-generation legal professional. You will make it..KK: Finally, is there any particular highlight or incident that was perhaps the turning point for you?.Kartika: Yes, actually there was a particular coaching institute in Jodhpur where I had enrolled initially. I won't take the name. However, they abruptly shut shop in Jodhpur and relocated to Jaipur, asking us to come all the way there or take online classes instead. When I asked them for a refund, they told me that if I do not take coaching from their institute, there is no chance that I will make it to the Indian judiciary. Now they must be seeing the news.