India’s First Supreme Court Woman Judge Fatima Beevi No More

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, (IANS) – India’s first woman judge of the Supreme Court Fathima Beevi breathed her last at a private hospital at Kollam on November 23. She was 96 years old and was ailing for a while.

Beevi, who lived at her home in Pathanamthitta after retirement, has several firsts to her name.

Apart from being the first woman judge of the apex court, she was the first Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission and the first Muslim female Governor of India (Tamil Nadu).

Beevi enrolled herself as an advocate in 1950 and began her career in the lower judiciary in Kerala.

Beevi was appointed a Munsiff in the Kerala Sub-ordinate Judicial Services in May 1958. She was promoted to Sub-ordinate Judge in 1968, as the Chief Judicial Magistrate in 1972, and as District and Sessions Judge in 1974.

Beevi was further appointed a Judicial Member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in January 1980 before being elevated to the High Court as a Judge on August 4, 1983.

Beevi became a permanent Judge of the High Court on May 14, 1984. She retired as a Judge of the High Court on April 29, 1989, but was further elevated to the Supreme Court as a Judge on October 6, 1989, where she retired on April 29, 1992.

Beevi later went on to become the Governor of Tamil Nadu on January 25, 1997, and she quit in 2001 following a decision of the Union Government recommending to the President to recall her.