KOLLAM: Justice M. Fathima Beevi, the trailblazing pioneer who etched her name in India's judicial history as the first female judge to grace the Supreme Court, passed away in Kollam district on Thursday. She was 96.
She had been receiving treatment for age-related issues at Travancore Medical Hospital in Kollam, where she took her last breath at around 12:30 p.m.
Born in Pathanamthitta district in 1927, she commenced her educational journey at St. Joseph's Convent School. She pursued a BSc degree in chemistry from the University of Kerala, and she furthered her studies in law at the Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. In 1950, she achieved the distinction of becoming the first woman in Kerala to earn a law degree.
Her professional trajectory included noteworthy roles as the Chief Judicial Magistrate and Judicial Member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal before her elevation to the bench as a judge of the Kerala High Court in 1983.
In 1989, she became a female judge of the Supreme Court of India. Not only did she break gender barriers, but she also became the inaugural Muslim woman to ascend to such a position within the nation's higher judiciary. She retired from the Supreme Court in 1992.
Later in 1997, she was appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, and she became the first Muslim woman to hold the governor’s office. Additionally, she contributed significantly as the Chairman of the Kerala Commission for Backward Classes and served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission.
Justice M. Fathima Beevi's mortal remains have been transported to Pathanamthitta, where the final rites will be conducted.