Fathima Beevi: Difference between revisions

Beevi was enrolled as Advocate on 14 November 1950. She topped the Bar Council exam in 1950. She began her career in the lower judiciary in [[Kerala]]. She was appointed as the ''[[District Munsiff Court|Munsiff]]'' in the Kerala Sub-ordinate Judicial Services in May, 1958. She was promoted as the Sub-ordinate Judge in 1968 and as the Chief Judicial Magistrate in 1972, as District & Sessions Judge in 1974.<ref name="supremecourtofindia" />

She was further appointed as the Judicial Member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in January, 1980. She was then elevated to the High Court as a Judge on 4 August 1983.<ref name="supremecourtofindia" /><ref name="highcourtofkerala">{{cite web|url=http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in/frmrjudges.html|title=High Court of Kerala: Former Judges|publisher=highcourtofkerala.nic.in|access-date=2009-01-16}}</ref>

As the Governor of the state, she rejected the mercy petitions filed by the four condemned prisoners in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The prisoners had sent the mercy petitions to the Governor, pleading her to exercise her power under Article 161 of the Constitution (the Governor's power to grant pardon).<ref>{{Cite web|title=tribuneindia... Nation|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99nov03/nation.htm|access-date=2021-06-16|website=The Tribune|location=Chandigarh}}</ref>

She was embroiled in controversy when she gave a clean chit to the law and order situation in [[Tamil Nadu]] that prompted the ire of the [[Government of India|Central government]]. The Minister for Law, [[Arun Jaitley]] asked for her resignation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2001/07/05/stories/02050001.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103183347/http://www.hindu.com/2001/07/05/stories/02050001.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 November 2012|title=Jaitley justifies Fathima Beevi's removal |date=5 July 2001|access-date=2009-01-15|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Later she left her office as Governor of the state under controversial circumstances of her accepting of [[Jayalalithaa]]'s of assembly majority after the elections<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/41943699.cms|title=Jayalalitha sworn in as chief minister|date=15 May 2001<!--, 1006 hrs-->|work=The Times of India|access-date=2009-01-15}}</ref> and over the arrest of [[Karunanidhi]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010702/nation.htm|title=Central team meets Governor|date=1 July 2001|publisher=The Tribune India|access-date=2009-01-15}}</ref> who pitched for her appointment four years ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/03tn1.htm|title=A quiet governor leaves a storm behind|publisher=Rediff.com|access-date=2009-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/04rajeev.htm|title=Mala fide in Madras|date=4 July 2001 |publisher=Rediff.com|access-date=2009-01-15}}</ref> Jayalalitha defended the state Governor's decision to invite her to form the government. She said "She is a former supreme court judge. She herself is a legal expert. Nobody need teach her about law or the constitution. Her decision is not justiciable."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/42166967.cms|title=Jaya defends Governor's action|date=17 May 2001<!--, 1549 hrs IST-->|work=The Times of India}}</ref>

Jayalalitha's party had received the simple majority (131 seats out of total 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly) after elections in May 2001.Fathima Beevi, the then Governor of Tamil Nadu administered the oath of office to J Jayalalitha as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 14 May 2001 in spite of the fact that Jayalalitha can not contest the election and would not be able to get herself elected by the people to the assembly within six months as per the constitution. There were a few Public Interest Litigations (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court questioning the validity of her appointment as the [[Chief Minister]] of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/05/31/stories/02310003.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107183908/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/05/31/stories/02310003.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 November 2012|title='Unfettered powers' of Governor to appoint CM challenged |date= 31 May 2001|access-date=2009-01-16|location=Chennai, India|first=Our|work=[[The Hindu]]|last=Legal}}</ref> Fathima Beevi justified her decision by saying that the majority party in the state assembly had elected Jayalalitha as their leader.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nilacharal.com/news/rajan/rajan201.html|title=Landmark Judgment- Part 1 |access-date=2009-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/09/22/stories/01220002.htm |title=Fathima Beevi defends her action |date=22 September 2001 |work=The Hindu |access-date=2009-01-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522064325/http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/09/22/stories/01220002.htm |archive-date=22 May 2011 }}</ref>

Fathima Beevi submitted her resignation after the Union Cabinet decided to recommend to the President to recall the Governor for having failed to discharge her constitutional obligation. The centre was peeved with Ms Fathima Beevi for not having furnished an independent and objective assessment of the sequence of events after the arrest of the former Chief Minister, [[Karunanidhi|M. Karunanidhi]], and the two Union Ministers, [[Murasoli Maran]] and [[T. R. Baalu]]. The centre had accused her of toeing the official line verbatim. The then [[Andhra Pradesh]] Governor, Dr C. Rangarajan, took charge as the acting Governor of Tamil Nadu, following her resignation.<ref>{{cite web

As the Governor of the state she had also served as the Chancellor of Madras University. It was reported by university sources that the Vice-Chancellor, P.T. Manoharan, had decided to quit his office in the wake of the Chancellor allegedly withholding her approval to the Syndicate's decision to establish a new department for contemporary Tamil literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99mar10/spotlite.htm|title=Madras varsity VC quits|date=10 March 1999|work=The Tribune|location=Chandigarh|access-date=2009-01-16}}</ref> She had also served as the Chairman of Kerala Commission for Backward Classes(1993) and member of National Human Rights Commission ( 1993). She received Hon. D Litt and Mahila Shiromani Award in 1990.<ref name="Who">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SK-81iI6NJQC&pg=PA517|title=The International Who's Who 2004|year=2003|publisher=Europa Publications|isbn=9781857432176|editor-last=Sleeman|editor-first=Elizabeth|edition=67|pages=517}}</ref> She was also awarded ''Bharat Jyoti'' Award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dlis.du.ac.in/Faculty%20Members/Shailendra%20Kumar.htm |title=Bharat Jyoti Award |publisher=Delhi University |access-date=2009-01-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515101248/http://dlis.du.ac.in/Faculty%20Members/Shailendra%20Kumar.htm |archive-date=15 May 2009 }}</ref>