Stories
The Inspiring Journey of Justice Fathima Beevi, Supreme Court's First Female Judge
N
News18•06-10-2026, 15:18
The Inspiring Journey of Justice Fathima Beevi, Supreme Court's First Female Judge
- •Justice M. Fathima Beevi made history on October 6, 1989, by becoming the first female judge of the Supreme Court of India and the first Muslim woman to join an apex court in Asia.
- •Born in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, she pursued a law degree upon her father's advice, eventually topping the Bar Council examination in 1950 with a gold medal.
- •Overcoming social stereotypes and resistance, she advanced from a lower court advocate to a Munsiff, District Judge, and Kerala High Court judge before reaching the Supreme Court.
- •She delivered landmark judgments on crucial matters, including women's equal property inheritance rights through the Mary Roy case in 1986.
- •Post-retirement, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, and was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2024.
Key Questions Answered
Justice M. Fathima Beevi was appointed as the first female judge of the Supreme Court of India on October 6, 1989, making her also the first Muslim woman to serve on an apex court in Asia.
Although she originally wanted to study chemistry and become a teacher, her father advised her to study law. She enrolled at the Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, and topped the Bar Council examination with a gold medal in 1950.
After her Supreme Court tenure, she became one of the first female members of the National Human Rights Commission in 1993 and served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001.
