“Daughter-in-law, just study.” For Deepu Kanwar, those words from her father-in-law, Than Singh, became more than a simple instruction. In a family home in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, where she married while still pursuing her education, Kanwar was encouraged to put her books before household chores and keep working towards her ambition of becoming a judge.
Her in-laws helped create a separate space for her studies, while her husband also supported her legal education. The journey was not easy: she cleared the preliminary and main stages in 2022 but missed the interview, and failed to clear the mains in 2023.
She kept studying, continued practising law and eventually secured the 79th rank in the Gujarat Judicial Service examination in 2025. Her story is not only about a woman who persisted through repeated setbacks, but about a family that chose to make room for that persistence.
A Father-In-Law Who Insisted
For Kanwar, her father-in-law’s support was expressed in everyday decisions rather than grand gestures. According to reports, whenever she tried to take up household chores, Than Singh would ask her to return to her studies.
Her mother-in-law, Samad Kanwar, also supported her education, while the family helped arrange a separate room where Deepu could prepare without interruption.
That distinction matters. Preparing for judicial service requires sustained concentration over a long period, something difficult to maintain when domestic responsibilities consume a large part of the day. By asking Deepu to prioritise her books, her father-in-law was effectively telling her that her education was not secondary to her role as a daughter-in-law.
The family’s support gave her the time and space to continue working towards a career that demanded years of preparation.
Marriage Did Not Close Doors
Deepu’s educational journey continued alongside her married life. She married Lokendra Singh in 2019 while pursuing her studies in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Her husband, who was also studying law, encouraged her to pursue an LLB. She went on to complete her legal education and later an LLM before beginning to practise law.
She began practising in court in 2021 while preparing for the Gujarat Judicial Service examination. During this period, she also became a mother to a daughter. Reports say her family helped accommodate her studies and professional ambitions, including when she had to travel to Jamnagar for examinations.
Her journey therefore unfolded across several roles, wife, mother, lawyer and judicial aspirant, without one necessarily having to come at the expense of the others.
Two Attempts Before Breakthrough
The eventual result came after two difficult attempts. In 2022, Deepu cleared both the preliminary and main stages of the Gujarat Judicial Service examination but could not clear the interview. She appeared again in 2023, but did not qualify through the mains. Instead of abandoning the goal, she continued preparing and returned for another attempt.
Her persistence finally paid off in 2025, when she secured the 79th rank in the Gujarat Judicial Service examination. The achievement was the culmination of years of legal education, courtroom experience, repeated preparation and family support. Her father-in-law’s insistence that she keep studying became one of the most striking parts of a journey that ultimately took her into the judiciary.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Deepu Kanwar’s story is powerful because the support she received was practical, not merely symbolic. Her father-in-law did not simply encourage her to dream; he reportedly asked her to put household work aside, helped protect her study time and made space for her preparation.
That support does not diminish Deepu’s own achievement. She faced two setbacks, returned to the examination and eventually earned her place in the judiciary. But her journey also highlights a larger question about women’s careers: how many more could pursue demanding professions if families treated domestic responsibilities as something to be shared rather than something automatically assigned to women? What becomes possible when a family decides that a daughter-in-law’s ambition deserves space to grow?
