Justice M. Fathima Beevi, the first female judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India, passed away in Kollam on Thursday.She was 96. She was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kollam, where she took her last breath at around 12.30 pm. Fathima Beevi was appointed as a judge to the apex court in 1989.
She also had the distinction of being the first Muslim woman appointed to any higher court position. 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 studied 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. She retired from the Supreme Court in 1992. Later in 1997, she was appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, becoming the first Muslim woman to hold the governor’s office. But the tenure of Beevi as governor of Tamil Nadu during 1997-2001 was mired in controversies.