Victoria Gowri

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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.[1][2]

Education[edit]

Gowri received her Bachelor of Laws from Government Law College, Madurai and did her postgraduation from Mother Teresa Women's University.[2]

Career[edit]

Politics[edit]

Gowri's family has been associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since decades.[2] 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 Kerala.[3][2] In 2016, she was appointed as the National Secretary of the women’s wing.[2] The Print reports that Gowri's social media profile has photographs of her tying rakhi on Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders; during the 2019 Indian general election, she took part in the Main Bhi Chowkidar campaign.[2]

Law[edit]

Gowri started practice in 1995 and opened her own firm, two years hence.[2] 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.[3]

Elevation to High Court[edit]

On 17 January 2023, the Collegium of the Supreme Court of India assented to her elevation as a judge of the Madras High Court.[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".[4][2] 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.[5]

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;[5] in oral remarks, he appeared to accept an ignorance of Gowri's speeches.[4][6] 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.[7][5] 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.[4][8]

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 infructuos even in case of an unfavorable verdict.[4][9][a] 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.[10]

Personal life[edit]

Gowri is married, and has two daughters.[11]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Judges, once holding office, can only be removed by impeachment through the Parliament of India.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b S, Mohamed Imranullah (2023-02-07). "Advocate Victoria Gowri assumes office as judge of Madras High Court". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Nath, Akshaya (2023-02-07). "From BJP leader & Hindutva activist to Madras HC judge — who is L Victoria Gowri". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  3. ^ a b Das, Saurav (30 January 2023). "'Problem of Christian, Love Jihad': A Future Judge's Bias Reveals Supreme Court Collegium's Enduring Opacity — Article 14". article-14.com.
  4. ^ a b c d "Why SC Dismissing Challenge to Victoria Gowri's Appointment Was the Chronicle of a Failure Foretold". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  5. ^ a b c S, Mohamed Imranullah (2023-02-06). "Advocates urge ACJ not to administer oath of office to Victoria Gowri until SC hears case against her elevation as judge of Madras HC". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  6. ^ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (2023-02-07). "Victoria Gowri appointment | Two views emerge from Supreme Court on what Collegium considered". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  7. ^ a b "Drama over appointment of LC Victoria Gowri in Madras HC: A fifth judges case in making?". India Today. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  8. ^ "Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against Appointment Of Adv Victoria Gowri As Madras High Court Additional Judge". Live Law. 2023-02-07.
  9. ^ Rajagopal, Krishnadas (2023-02-07). "SC declines to intervene in adv. Victoria Gowri's appointment as Madras HC Additional Judge even as she took oath of office". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  10. ^ "Bench and bigotry: The Hindu Editorial on advocate Victoria Gowri's appointment as Madras High Court judge". The Hindu. 2023-02-08. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  11. ^ Arvind, Ayesha. "Will strive to liberate marginalised, nurture fraternity in this diverse, beautiful country: Justice L Victoria Gowri". Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
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