Meera Sahib Fathima Bibi (English: Meera Sahib Fathima Beevi, born- 30 April, 1927; died- 23 November, 2023) was a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. She was the first Indian woman to be appointed to this post in the year 1989. She was made a member of the ‘National Human Rights Commission’ (India) on October 3, 1993.
She was also the Governor of Tamil Nadu. In the year 2023, he was awarded the second highest ‘Kerala Prabha Award’. The Government of India has honored Fatima Bibi with the Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2024. Justice Fatima Bibi not only became the first woman to become a Supreme Court judge, but she also became the first Muslim woman in the higher judiciary and the first woman to become a Supreme Court judge in an Asian country.
Former Justice M. Fathima Bibi was born in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. Fatima’s father’s name was Mir Sahib and mother’s name was Khadija Bibi. He did his early education from the city of his birth and later did B.Sc. from Trivandrum. Studied. Fathima from Thiruvananthapuram studied B.L. Received degree of_. In 1989, she was made a judge of the Supreme Court in the Rajiv Gandhi government and this was the first time that a woman was made a judge in India. She was also the Governor of Tamil Nadu between January 25, 1997 and 2001.
Fathima Bibi was registered as an advocate on 14 November 1950, appointed as Munsif in the Kerala Subordinate Judicial Service in May, 1958, and promoted as Subordinate Judge in 1968. She was appointed Chief Judicial Magistrate in 1972, District and Sessions Judge in 1974, Judicial Member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in 1980 and as a judge of the High Court on 8 April 1983. On 6 October 1989, she was appointed judge of the Supreme Court. From where she retired on 24 April 1992.
Following her retirement on April 29, 1992, Justice Fathima Bibi was appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu in 1997. She became the Governor of Tamil Nadu on January 25, 1997. The then President of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma appointed him and former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court as the Governor of Kerala. As Governor, Fatima Bibi rejected the mercy petitions filed by four convicted prisoners in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. However, after several unfortunate incidents Fatima Bibi had to resign from her governorship.
M. Fathima Bibi also served as a member of the ‘National Human Rights Commission’ (1993) and Chairperson of the ‘Kerala Backward Classes Commission’ (1993). He also received the Hon. D.Litt in 1990 and awarded with ‘Mahila Shiromani Award’ and ‘Bharat Jyoti Award’ and ‘US-India Business Council’ (USIBC) ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
Fathima Bibi died on November 23, 2023 in Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Her entry into the higher echelons of the Indian judiciary opened the doors for women across India and Asia to dream bigger and achieve the greatest heights of success. Her journey was not without challenges, as she navigated a traditionally male-dominated profession with grace and determination. Her achievements paved the way for countless aspiring women in law and inspired a new generation to pursue careers in the legal field.
