Eleventh woman judge in SC history, Justice Bela M Trivedi bids adieu
New Delhi, Justice Bela M Trivedi, who was the eleventh woman judge to be elevated to the Supreme Court in its 75-year-old history on Friday demitted office after spending three-and-a-half years on the bench.
Justice Trivedi, who had the rare distinction of being elevated to the top court after starting out as a trial court judge in Gujarat in July 1995, was part of the top court's several landmark judgements.
"It was a happy coincidence that her father was already working as the judge, city civil and sessions court when she was appointed. The Limca Book of Indian records has recorded the entry in their 1996 edition that 'Father - daughter judges in the same court'," Justice Trivedi's profile on the apex court website said.
She was elevated as a judge of the apex court on August 31, 2021 when a record nine new judges, including three women, were administered oath of office.
On Friday, Justice Trivedi sat in the ceremonial bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai as a tradition marking the exit of a top court judge.
She was part of a five-judge Constitution bench, which by a 3:2 majority, in November 2022 upheld 10 per cent reservation introduced in 2019 for economically weaker sections in admissions and government jobs that excluded the poor among the SC/ST/OBC categories.
A seven-judge Constitution bench, which Justice Trivedi was part of, in August 2024 by a 6:1 majority held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the Scheduled Castes, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.
Justice Trivedi, in her 85-page dissenting verdict, said it is only Parliament which can include a caste in the SC list or exclude it, and states are not empowered to tinker with it.
A bench comprising Justice Trivedi in November 2021 said touching genitals of a child or any act involving physical contact with "sexual intent" amounts to sexual assault under Section 7 of the POCSO Act as the most important ingredient is sexual intent and not skin-to-skin contact.
It quashed the controversial "skin-to-skin" judgements of the Bombay High Court in two cases under the POCSO Act.
Justice Trivedi penned a verdict holding that the moratorium imposed under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code does not prohibit the attachment of properties under the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act.
A bench headed by Justice Trivedi on May 15 paved way for a Uttar Pradesh government scheme to develop the Shri Banke Bihari Temple corridor in Mathura for the benefit of scores of devotees.
Born on June 10, 1960 at Patan in north Gujarat, she practised as a lawyer in the Gujarat High Court for about 10 years.
She was appointed as a judge, city civil and sessions court at Ahmedabad, on July 10, 1995.
She had worked on different posts like registrar vigilance in the high court and law secretary in the Government of Gujarat.
She was elevated as a judge of the Gujarat High Court on February 17, 2011.
Justice Trivedi was transferred to the Rajasthan High Court where she worked since June 2011 till she was repatriated to the parent high court in February 2016.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
5 things about TMC MP Mahua Moitra: Ex-husband, education, dream job and more
Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress quietly tied the knot with former Biju Janata Dal MP Pinaki Misra in Germany on May 3, The Telegraph reported. couldn't independently verify the information. Photos sourced by The Telegraph showed Mahua Moitra, 50, wearing gold jewellery and smiling as she holds hands with Pinaki Misra, 65. 1. From Wall Street to Parliament: Before entering into Indian politics, Mahua Moitra lived a very different life — crunching numbers at JP Morgan in New York and London. She studied economics and math at the prestigious Mount Holyoke College in the US, graduating in 1998. But in 2008, Moitra traded in her high-flying banking job to return to India and enter politics — first with the Congress's youth wing, and later, with Mamata Banerjee's TMC. Her fiery speeches and sharp wit quickly made her a standout voice in Parliament. 2. Mahua Moitra's first marriage: Moitra was once married to Lars Brorson, a Danish financier. She's kept this chapter of her life fairly private but confirmed the marriage — and eventual separation — herself on social media, calling out misinformation about her name and identity. 'My ex husband is Lars Wauvert Brorson. My name is and has always been Mahua Moitra,' she had posted on X. The two eventually parted ways, but she has never let her personal life define her political one. 3. Fallout with Jai Anant Dehadrai: Moitra was embroiled in a controversy with advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, whom she described as a 'jilted ex'. The dispute, which began with personal allegations, soon turned political. Dehadrai accused her of accepting gifts and favours from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in return for raising questions in Parliament — something the TMC firebrand MP vehemently denied, calling it a targeted attack on her credibility. The saga played out in courtrooms and headlines alike. 4. Mahua Moitra's expulsion from Parliament: In December 2023, Moitra faced her biggest political setback yet — expulsion from the Lok Sabha after the Ethics Committee found her guilty in the so-called 'cash-for-query' scandal. While her supporters called it a politically motivated move, the committee cited serious ethical breaches. 5. Her relentless attack on Adani Group: Moitra drew national attention for her repeated criticism of billionaire Gautam Adani and the alleged government favouritism towards the Adani Group. She repeatedly raised questions in Parliament about alleged crony capitalism, especially after the explosive Hindenburg Research report accused Adani's conglomerate of stock manipulation and accounting fraud.
News18
30 minutes ago
- News18
New Zealand Parliament Suspends 3 Māori Party Lawmakers For Haka Protest
Last Updated: Inside and outside Parliament, the haka has increasingly been welcomed as an important part of New Zealand life. New Zealand legislators voted Thursday to enact record suspensions from Parliament for three lawmakers who performed a Māori haka to protest a proposed law. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, were barred for 21 days. Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand's Parliament before. The lawmakers from Te Pāti Māori, the Māori Party, performed the haka, a chanting dance of challenge, in November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights. The protest drew global headlines and provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about what the consequences for the lawmakers' actions should be and the place of Māori culture in Parliament. A committee of the lawmakers' peers in April recommended the lengthy bans. It said the lawmakers were not being punished for the haka, but for striding across the floor of the debating chamber toward their opponents while doing it. Judith Collins, the committee chair, said the lawmakers' behavior was egregious, disruptive and potentially intimidating. Maipi-Clarke, 22, rejected that description Thursday, citing other instances when legislators have left their seats and approached opponents without sanction. The suspended legislators said they are being treated more harshly than others because they are Māori. Inside and outside Parliament, the haka has increasingly been welcomed as an important part of New Zealand life. The sacred chant can be a challenge to the viewer but is not violent. As Māori language and culture have become part of mainstream New Zealand in recent years, haka appear in a range of cultural, somber and celebratory settings. They also have rung out in Parliament to welcome the passage of high-profile laws. Some who decried the protest haka in Parliament cited its timing, with Maipi-Clarke beginning the chant as votes were being tallied and causing a brief suspension of proceedings. She has privately apologized for the disruption to Parliament's Speaker, she said Thursday. A few lawmakers urged their peers to consider rewriting rules about what lawmakers could do in Parliament to recognize Māori cultural protocols as accepted forms of protest. One cited changes to allow breastfeeding in the debating chamber as evidence the institution had amended rules before. Normally the parliamentary committee that decides on punishments for errant lawmakers is in agreement on what should happen to them. But panel members were sharply divided over the haka protest and the lengthy punishments were advanced only because the government has more legislators in Parliament than the opposition. One party in the government bloc wanted even longer suspensions and had asked the committee if the Māori party lawmakers could be jailed. Most in opposition rejected any punishment beyond the one-day ban Maipi-Clarke already served. Speaker Gerry Brownlee urged lawmakers last month to negotiate a consensus and ordered a free-ranging debate that would continue until all agreed to put the sanctions to a vote. But no such accord was reached after hours of occasionally emotional speeches in which opposition lawmakers accused the government of undermining democracy by passing such a severe punishment on its opponents. While the bans were certain to pass, even as the debate began Thursday it remained unclear whether opposition lawmakers would filibuster to prevent the suspensions from reaching a vote. By evening, with no one's mind changed, all lawmakers agreed the debate should end. Every government lawmaker voted for the punishments, while all opposition members voted against them. Thursday's debate capped a fraught episode for race relations in New Zealand, beginning with the controversial bill that the Māori Party lawmakers opposed. The measures would have rewritten principles in the country's founding document, a treaty between Māori tribal leaders and representatives of the British Crown signed at the time New Zealand was colonized. The bill's authors were chagrined by moves from Parliament and the courts in recent decades to enshrine the Treaty of Waitangi's promises. Opponents warned of constitutional crisis if the law was passed and tens of thousands of people marched to Parliament last November to oppose it. Despite growing recognition for the treaty, Māori remain disadvantaged on most social and economic metrics compared to non-Māori New Zealanders. (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Associated Press) Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : New Zealand First Published:
Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Kerala minister boycotts event over Bharat Mata photograph
Kerala minister P Prasad boycotted a World Environment Day sapling plantation event at the governor's house in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday over the showering of flowers on a Bharat Mata photograph, which he insisted is associated mainly with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s ideological fount, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The row comes days after both the ruling Left Democratic Front and the Opposition United Democratic Front criticised the use of the photograph at an event related to Operation Sindoor, India's cross-border anti-terror strikes last month, at the governor's house. Prasad said the plantation programme schedule was changed on Wednesday with the addition of the flower showering. 'Such a ritual has never been part of official events at the Raj Bhavan [governor's house]...,' said Prasad, who planted saplings separately after skipping the Raj Bhavan event. Prasad, a Communist Party of India (CPI) leader, said they told officials that such a photograph must not be used at a government event, especially in a constitutional office. 'It is against the Constitution. The governor's office insisted on it. We are not against Bharat have often kids dressing up as Bharat Mata at government events and official Onam celebrations,' said Prasad. CPI leader Binoy Viswam criticised the Raj Bhavan for using the photograph of Bharat Mata carrying a saffron flag for the event. 'Will the photograph of Bharat Mata be complete only if she holds the RSS flag? Will it be complete only if she stands by a lion? The Raj Bhavan should never have become a platform for such adamant stands of the RSS,' Viswam said. Opposition Congress leader VD Satheesan echoed Viswam. 'Raj Bhavan should never become a stage for such events and actions. It is the office of the head of state. We raised the same criticism when Gurumurthy was invited to the governor's house,' he said, referring to RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy's presence at the Operation Sindoor event at the Raj Bhavan. Satheesan said the Raj Bhawan should have invited defence experts and former ambassadors to that event. BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan expressed surprise over the fresh row. 'I do not understand why Prasad or CPI leaders are reacting like this. The photograph of Bharat Mata should not be seen as a religious symbol.'
