Kollam (Kerala): Justice M. Fathima Beevi, first woman judge of Supreme Court of India, passed away in Kollam, Kerala Thursday November 23, 2023.
Justice (Retired) Fathima was 96.
Justice Fathima, who was also the first Muslim women appointed as Supreme Court Judge -- because of her long and decorated career -- was regarded as a role model and icon for women across the country and gender justice.
After her superannuation from the Supreme Court, Justice Fathima was also appointed as Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Justice Fathima Beevi belonged to an exclusive club of three - two in India and one in Pakistan, who were members of the Tax Tribunal and later became judges of the Supreme Court.
Another interesting thing about Justice Fathima was that she was appointed to the SC after she was retired as a High Court judge.
Justice Fathima hailed from Pandalam in Kerala. She completed her schooling at the Catholicate High School in Pathanamthitta, before acquiring her Degree in Bachelor of Science from University College, Trivandrum.
Paying tribute to Justice Fathima, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the life of Justice Beevi was one of the remarkable chapters of women’s empowerment in Kerala.
"Through Justice Beevi, Kerala had won recognition as the state which contributed the first woman judge to the country", he said in his condolence message.
Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor called her a "legend" and "pride of Kerala".
"A legend has perished. Justice Fathima Beevi, the first female judge of the Supreme Court of India in 1989, passed away at the age of 96 in Kollam, Kerala. She was also the first Muslim woman to be appointed to the higher judiciary. On her retirement from the court, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and later as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001. We shared the stage on a couple of occasions in later years and I was impressed by her direct and quietly forceful manner. She was genuinely the pride of Kerala", Tharoor wrote in his condolence message.
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