January 9, 2023
1 min read

Kerala man, who rolled beedis for livelihood, becomes a judge in US

Pattel’s path to the post was far from easy and was due to his determination, hard work, and the willing ..reports Asian Lite News

On New Year’s Day, it was a dream come true for US-settled Keralite Surendran K. Pattel as he was sworn in as the judge of 240th Judicial District Court in Texas’ Fort Bend county.

District judges are chosen through elections in the US and Pattel, 51, defeated the sitting judge in the first round of the election to become the first Malayalee to be a district judge in the US.

Pattel’s path to the post was far from easy and was due to his determination, hard work, and the willing ..

He completed his further education and bachelor’s degree, while engaging in part time work including as a daily labourer so as to earn his livelihood, but never let it affect his studies.

After enrolling for LLB at a college in Kozhikode, he worked in a hotel and in 1995, he passed law and straight away entered into practising law.

Then came his marriage to Shubha, a nurse by profession and he moved base to Delhi and was practising at the Supreme Court.

In 2007, his wife got an opportunity to work in the US and he too joined her and since his passion was law, he, after working in a supermarket for a while, appeared for the Texas bar exam and cleared it.

He then got admission for the LL.M programme at the University of Houston Law Center, passed it with flying colours, and began work as a lawyer again. This New Year’s Day, he wrote himself into the record books.

ALSO READ: Jaishankar lauds role of Indian diaspora  

Previous Story

India, Slovenia seek to expand ties in defence and space

Next Story

Avani Chaturvedi: IAF’s first woman pilot to lead aerial war games abroad

Latest from India News

Visa Interview Pause Nearing End, Says US

India is the source country for the largest group of international students in the US and Bruce’s comments will be closely followed there….reports Asian Lite News The United States said the pause

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

Accel Puts India’s AI Power in the Spotlight

Under the theme “Engineering India’s AI Advantage,” the exclusive, invite-only event will bring together leading AI founders, researchers, tech CXOs, policymakers, and global investors….reports Asian Lite News Global venture capital firm Accel

Rain Rules Roads

People walk with umbrellas, and vehicles move slowly as rain lashes Mumbai, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (Photos from IANS and ANI)

Deshpande Set for England

IPL 2025 marked Deshpande’s return, and despite modest returns (9 wickets in 10 games at 10.63 economy), Mumbai bowling consultant Kulkarni backs him to thrive in England with the Dukes ball. There
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Samsung shifts focus to sustainability

Recently, Samsung has been doubling down on its campaign on

Centre, IRDAI at odds over CVO

The IRDAI has also said to a RTI query in