Justice Fathima Beevi, first woman judge of the Supreme Court, passes away at 96

Beevi had been under treatment at a hospital in Kollam where she breathed her last this noon. Her funeral is scheduled to be held at her native place, Pathanamthitta, on Friday.

Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai: First woman judge of the Supreme Court, Justice M Fathima Beevi, passed away in Kerala’s Kollam on Thursday. She was 96.

She served as SC judge from 1989 to 1992. She was also considered as the first woman from Muslim community to become a high-ranking judicial officer. She also served as Tamil Nadu Governor from 1997 to 2001 and National Human Rights Commission member from 1993 to 1997.

Beevi was under treatment at a hospital in Kollam where she died this noon. Funeral will be held at her native place Pathanamthitta on Friday.

Born in Pathanamthitta district, she did her higher studies at the University College and Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram. She enrolled as a lawyer in 1950 and started career as a judicial officer as munsiff in 1958. She became a High Court judge in 1983.

Beevi, who had an eventful four-year tenure as Tamil Nadu Governor from 1997 to 2001, was recalled in July 2001 by the then A B Vajpayee-led government. Her most controversial decision was to administer the oath of office to J Jayalalithaa as chief minister in May 2001 despite her conviction in TANSI land acquisition case by a special court.

Beevi was appointed as Tamil Nadu Governor by the United Front government in which the ruling DMK was an integral part. Though then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had hailed Beevi’s appointment as the first woman governor of Tamil Nadu, the two fell out after the DMK lost power in the state in 2001.

The former Supreme Court judge invited Jayalalithaa to form the government after AIADMK MLAs elected her as the legislature party leader in May 2021 despite her not contesting the assembly elections. Jayalalithaa’s nomination papers from four constituencies were rejected by returning officers on the count that she was awarded three-year jail term in TANSI cases.

Despite objections raised from several quarters, Beevi invited Jayalalithaa to form the government, earning the DMK’s wrath which demanded her resignation. Within a few months, the BJP recalled Beevi after calling her report on the midnight arrest of M Karunanidhi by the new AIADMK government “unacceptable” as she failed to write an “independent one” from the state administration.

Beevi suffered a major embarrassment when the Supreme Court in September 2001 struck down Jayalalithaa’s appointment saying she stood disqualified. Jayalalithaa stepped down immediately and O Panneerselvam replaced her the same evening.

Beevi had also rejected mercy petitions of four convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, while she reduced the death sentence awarded to Nalini Murugan to life.

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other political leaders condoled Beevi’s death.