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{{Short description|Indian judge}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2024}}
'''Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri''' is an Additional Judge of the [[Madras High Court]]. Prior to her appointment, she was a politician from the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]. Her selection engendered controversy after lawyers alleged her to have given hate speeches against religious minorities and unsuccessfully petitioned the Supreme Court of India to withdraw the appointment.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=S |first=Mohamed Imranullah |date=2023-02-07 |title=Advocate Victoria Gowri assumes office as judge of Madras High Court |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/advocate-l-victoria-gowri-assumes-office-as-judge-of-madras-high-court/article66480309.ece |access-date=2023-02-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Nath |first=Akshaya |date=2023-02-07 |title=From BJP leader & Hindutva activist to Madras HC judge — who is L Victoria Gowri |url=https://theprint.in/judiciary/from-bjp-leader-hindutva-activist-to-madras-hc-judge-who-is-l-victoria-gowri/1360049/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Education ==
Gowri received her [[Bachelor of Laws]] from Government Law College, Madurai and did her postgraduation from [[Mother Teresa Women's University]].<ref name=":4" />

== Career ==

=== Politics ===
Gowri's family has been associated with the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) since decades.<ref name=":4" /> She has been associated with [[Seva Bharati]] — an affiliate of the Sangh Parivar— since her college days. In October 2010, Gowri was appointed to head the party's Women's Wing in [[Tamil Nadu|Kerala]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Das |first=Saurav |date=30 January 2023 |title='Problem of Christian, Love Jihad': A Future Judge's Bias Reveals Supreme Court Collegium's Enduring Opacity — Article 14 |url=https://article-14.com/post/-problem-of-christian-love-jihad-a-future-judge-s-bias-reveals-supreme-court-collegium-s-enduring-opacity-63d73360b1296 |website=article-14.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> In 2016, she was appointed as the National Secretary of the women’s wing.<ref name=":4" /> [[ThePrint|The Print]] reports that Gowri's social media profile has photographs of her tying [[Rakhine State|''rakhi'']] on [[Narendra Modi]] and other senior BJP leaders; during the [[2019 Indian general election]], she took part in the [[Main Bhi Chowkidar]] campaign.<ref name=":4" />

=== Law ===
Gowri started practice in 1995 and opened her own firm, two years hence.<ref name=":4" /> In 2015, the union government—led by BJP—appointed her as their senior standing counsel at the [[Madras High Court]]; five years later, she was recruited as an assistant [[solicitor general]] for the union government.<ref name=":0" />

==== Elevation to High Court ====
On 17 January 2023, the Collegium of the Supreme Court of India assented to her elevation as a judge of the [[Madras High Court]].<ref name=":1" /> About a fortnight later, it was alleged that she had given hate speeches against religious minorities — Christians and Muslims; Gowri was noted to have propagated the Islamophobic conspiratorial theory of [[Love jihad]] and labeled Christians as "white terrorists".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Why SC Dismissing Challenge to Victoria Gowri's Appointment Was the Chronicle of a Failure Foretold |url=https://thewire.in/law/why-sc-dismissing-challenge-to-victoria-gowris-appointment-was-the-chronicle-of-a-failure-foretold |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=The Wire}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> On 1 February, some lawyers petitioned the President of India to withdraw her appointment and went on to file a case before the Supreme Court of India, praying for similar reliefs.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=S |first=Mohamed Imranullah |date=2023-02-06 |title=Advocates urge ACJ not to administer oath of office to Victoria Gowri until SC hears case against her elevation as judge of Madras HC |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/advocates-urge-acj-not-to-administer-oath-of-office-to-victoria-gowri-until-sc-hears-case-against-her-elevation-as-judge-of-madras-hc/article66478317.ece |access-date=2023-02-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

On 6 February 2023, the Chief Justice of India — who heads the Collegium — constituted a two-judge bench to decide on the issue about a week later;<ref name=":3" /> in oral remarks, he appeared to accept an ignorance of Gowri's speeches.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rajagopal |first=Krishnadas |date=2023-02-07 |title=Victoria Gowri appointment {{!}} Two views emerge from Supreme Court on what Collegium considered |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/victoria-gowri-appointment-two-views-emerge-from-supreme-court-on-what-collegium-considered/article66481159.ece |access-date=2023-02-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> However, minutes after the decision, the Government accepted the Collegium's recommendation, and the Chief Justice of Madras High Court requested her to take oath, the next day.<ref name=":IToday">{{Cite web |title=Drama over appointment of LC Victoria Gowri in Madras HC: A fifth judges case in making? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/drama-over-appointment-of-lc-victoria-gowri-in-madras-hc-a-fifth-judges-case-in-making-2331321-2023-02-07 |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=India Today |date=7 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The hearing was rescheduled and held before a bench of [[Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai]] and [[Sanjay Kishan Kaul]] on the morning of 7 January; they dismissed the case upon an oral hearing, refusing to challenge the wisdom of the collegium by adjudicating the "suitability" of a judge.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-07 |title=Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against Appointment Of Adv Victoria Gowri As Madras High Court Additional Judge |url=https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-dismisses-plea-against-appointment-of-adv-victoria-gowri-as-madras-high-court-additional-judge-220908 |website=[[Live Law]] |language=en}}</ref>

Gowri was sworn in simultaneous to the hearings, and she took oath before the arguments had concluded in the Supreme Court; the proceedings would have been effectively infructuous even in case of an unfavorable verdict.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rajagopal |first=Krishnadas |date=2023-02-07 |title=SC declines to intervene in adv. Victoria Gowri's appointment as Madras HC Additional Judge even as she took oath of office |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-dismisses-petition-challenging-victoria-gowris-appointment-as-madras-hc-judge/article66480409.ece |access-date=2023-02-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>{{Efn|Judges, once holding office, can ''only'' be removed by impeachment through the Parliament of India.<ref name=":IToday" />}} [[The Hindu]], in its editorial, remarked that Gowri's elevation — notwithstanding an "unabashed prejudice against minorities" — highlighted the unsuitability of the closed-door collegium system to select judges in the face of political pressure.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-02-08 |title=Bench and bigotry: The Hindu Editorial on advocate Victoria Gowri's appointment as Madras High Court judge |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/bench-and-bigotry-the-hindu-editorial-on-advocate-victoria-gowris-appointment-as-madras-high-court-judge/article66486035.ece |access-date=2023-02-09 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Gowri is married, and has two daughters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arvind |first=Ayesha |title=Will strive to liberate marginalised, nurture fraternity in this diverse, beautiful country: Justice L Victoria Gowri |url=https://www.barandbench.com/news/will-strive-to-liberate-marginalised-nurture-fraternity-in-this-diverse-beautiful-country-justice-l-victoria-gowri |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news |date=7 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowri, Victoria}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian judges]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women judges]]
[[Category:Judges of the Madras High Court]]
[[Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women politicians]]

{{India-law-bio-stub}}

Victoria Gowri - Revision history

HGNJanell4801: put up new details