Fathima Beevi (1927-2023) was an Indian judge. She is the first female Supreme Court judge in India and Asia. Fathima Beevi serves as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. She died in 2023 at the age of 96.
Wiki/Biography
M. Fathima Beevi was born on April 30, 1927 in Pattanandita, Kingdom of Travancore (now Kerala, India) (died at the age of 96). Her zodiac sign is Taurus. Fatima attended town schools and then the Catholic High School in Pathanamthitta. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Trivandrum University College (part of the University of Kerala). Thereafter, Fathima Beevi joined Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, where she obtained her LLB degree.
Young Fatima Bevi
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Fatima Bevi was born into the Rosser family.
Parents and siblings
Fatima’s father’s name is Annavetil Meer Sahib. Her father works for the government. Her mother’s name is Khadija Bevi. The couple had eight children, six daughters and two sons, of whom Fatima was the eldest.
Photos of three sisters of Fathima Beevi
religion
Fatima Bevi believes in Islam.
Profession
law
Fathima Beevi was called to the Bar on November 14, 1950 and topped the Bar Examination that year. Fatima was the first woman to win a gold medal from the Bar Association. She started her career as a lawyer in the Kerala Subordinate Judiciary and became a Munsiff in the Kerala Subordinate Judiciary in 1958. In 1974, Fatima became the Chief Judicial Magistrate and was promoted to District and Sessions Judges. In January 1980, she became a judicial member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and was promoted to Judge of the Kerala High Court on August 4, 1983. Fatima became a permanent judge of the High Court on May 14, 1984 and retired on April 29, 1989. She served as a Supreme Court judge from October 6, 1989 until her retirement on April 29, 1992.
Judge Fatima in formal robes
Fatima served as the chairperson of the Kerala State Commission for Backward Classes in 1993 and became a member of the National Human Rights Commission in the same year. Subsequently, she served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from January 25, 1997. During her tenure, she rejected clemency petitions from four death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. As governor, she also served as chancellor of the University of Madras.
Governor of Tamil Nadu (1997-2001)
Fathima Beevi became the Governor of Tamil Nadu in 1997. A significant moment during her tenure as governor was when she rejected the clemency pleas of four prisoners related to the Rajiv Gandhi case. Another important event was her appointment of Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 14, 2001. But this caused problems because Jayalalithaa could not legally contest the election at the time. People took the matter to court, questioning the validity of Jayalalithaa’s appointment. The Supreme Court later said Bevi’s decision was incorrect and noted that the chief minister must be part of the legislature. Facing controversy and pressure, Fathima Beevi resigned as governor in 2001. The federal cabinet recommended the President to recall her and expressed dismay at the way she was handled following the arrest of former chief minister M. Karunanidhi and two federal ministers, Murasoli Maran and TR Baalu. Some claimed she was too close to the government’s official position. Her departure marked the end of her tenure as the Governor of Tamil Nadu and Dr. C. Rangarajan, the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh, took over as the interim Governor of Tamil Nadu.
dispute
Jayalalithaa controversy
Fathima Beevi faced controversy when she invited then AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa as Tamil Nadu chief minister even though the latter was barred from attending due to conviction in a corruption case election and therefore did not participate in the election. Former law minister Arun Jaitley called for Fatima’s resignation. After the May 2001 elections, Jayalalithaa’s party won a simple majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Despite the constitutional issues, Fatima administered the oath of office to Jayalalithaa as chief minister.
Justice Fatima Bevi (left) and Jayalalithaa
A public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of Jayalalithaa’s appointment. Fatima justified her decision and said the majority party in the Assembly had elected Jayalalithaa as their leader. She also said she took advice from Supreme Court judges and the Chief Justice of India. Following the controversy, Fatima resigned after the federal cabinet recommended her recall for failing to provide an independent assessment of the events that followed the arrest of Karunanidhi and two federal ministers. Dr. C. Rangarajan, the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh, served as Acting Governor of Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court also overturned Fatima’s appointment of Jayalalithaa as chief minister, stating that the Governor cannot act contrary to the constitution and law, especially by appointing a non-member as chief minister.
Awards and Honors
- Fathima Beevi was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon. D. Litt.).
Fathima Beevi receives honorary Doctor of Letters
- Fathima Beevi received the Mahila Shiromani Award in 1990.
- Fatima was awarded the Bharat Jyoti Award.
- Fatima received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the US-India Business Council (USIBC).
- Fatima was awarded the Kerala Prabha Award in 2023 (the second highest honor conferred by the Government of Kerala).
die
Fathima Beevi died on November 23, 2023 in Kollam, Kerala, India. She was diagnosed with pneumonia at Travancore Medical Hospital and admitted due to lung problems. Fatima died at the age of 96. Her funeral was held in Juma Masjid town of Pathanamthitta, her birthplace.
Facts/Trivia
- Fatima was interested in continuing to study science, but was persuaded by her father to study law.
- When Fatima started law school, there were only five girls in the class. Later this number was reduced to three.
- In March 2023, director Priya Ravindran released a documentary about the life of Fathima Beevi. The documentary is Neethipathayile Dheera Vanitha (Brave Women on the Path of Justice).
Poster of Neethipathayile Dheera Vanitha, a documentary about Fathima Beevi
- India’s left-wing parties have discussed the possibility of nominating Fatima as the president of India. However, the NDA government put forward the name of Dr. Abdul Kalam, who later became the President.
- Fathima Beevi was the first Muslim woman in India to be appointed to a higher judiciary (Examples of higher judiciary: Additional District Judge and Sessions Judge).
It is an honor today to be invited to pay tribute to the legendary Justice Fathima Beevi, the first female Supreme Court justice and the first Muslim female governor. She was 93 years old and seemed to be in good spirits. It is so important for our young people to be exposed to role models like her! pic.twitter.com/1XKqrOMcbP
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 19, 2020
- In addition to her role in law and politics, Fatima Bevi is also involved in social activities and charity work.
- In an interview, Fatima said, “I opened a door that was closed” about becoming the first female Supreme Court justice. Later, in 2016, she mentioned that the Indian judicial system was patriarchal and she felt that there was a need to reserve seats for women in the higher judiciary. She also said,
There are a lot of women in the field right now, both on the bar and on the bench. However, their participation was minimal. They are represented differently than men. There’s a historical reason for that too… women entered the field later. It will take time for women to gain equal representation in the judiciary. When I entered law school, there were only five girls in my first-year class. The next year that number dropped to two or three. Today, in law schools, we see that a large proportion of students are women. ”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education