Justice Fathima Beevi who was appointed as the first woman to be a judge in the Supreme Court of India passed away on November 23. She happened to be the only Muslim woman to hold this position. She died at the age of 96 at a private hospital in Kollam, Kerala.
In a male-dominated profession, Fathima Beevi broke barriers and inspired generations of women. Throughout her career, she was considered a role model for gender justice, women empowerment, and equality. Following in her footsteps, there have been a total of 11 women judges since then. Currently, we have Hima Kohli, Bela Trivedi, and BV Nagarathna as the incumbent judges.
Born in Pathanamthitta in 1927, Fathima Beevi’s father encouraged her to study law. She was the eldest daughter of eight children. She topped the Bar Council exam in 1950 and became the first woman to receive the gold medal. This was also the year that the Indian Constitution came into being and the Supreme Court of India assembled for its first sitting.
It is reported that she had completed her graduation in Chemistry and she wanted to pursue a post-graduation in the same subject. However, her father was inspired by the story of the first woman judicial officer in Travancore – Anna Chandy. He knew that law would help in changing her life and he persuaded her to choose the legal route.
Years later, she became the first woman member of the country’s Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. Following this, she was appointed as the judge of a High Court in 1983.
After her retirement from the Supreme Court in 1993, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and then as Governor of Tamil Nadu. Justice K.T. Thomas, a former Supreme Court judge who served with Beevi in the Kerala High Court said, “She was not afraid to record her opinion when she felt it was due. I still remember the instance in which the Supreme Court once accepted her dissent note as a division bench judge in a case involving the Rubber Board, MRF Tyres and the Union of India.”
She has left behind a legacy where she has presided over some of the most important decisions as an apex court judge. However, one case that remains monumental was when she rejected the mercy petitions filed by four prisoners in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. After rejecting their pleas, she resigned from the position.
Her life and her work speak volumes about her principles. Fathima Beevi’s contributions have helped shape the Indian legal system and we are ever so thankful.
