Gowri’s appointment as a judge is being critcised for her strong views on religious conversions
The appointment of Victoria Gowri as a judge of Madras High Court has drawn the ire of a group of lawyers and former judges of the Court. The Union Government has ratified her elevation as the judge by the Collegium of Judges of the Supreme Court. Her critics allege that Gowri is a Hindu fundamentalist with strong views against religious conversion and Love Jihad. There are many lawyers who want to convert democratic India into a Communist nation. Late V R Krishna Iyer had contested the assembly election to Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1957 with the support of the Communist Party. He was the Minister for Law, Justice, and Jail Reforms till the ministry was dismissed by the Centre in 1959. When he lost the subsequent election Iyer gave up electoral politics and got elevated to the Bench at the instance of the then chief minister EMS Namboodirippadu “for being a tool for transformation of India into a socialist republic”. This is what Iyer has written in his autobiography “Wandering in Many Worlds”. Kurian Joseph, from Kerala Congress (Mani Group), an outfit representing the interests of the Catholic community was appointed as judge of the Kerala High Court. He retired as a judge of the Supreme Court. There was no opposition from any quarters though Joseph was a mediocre judge. His tenure in the apex court stands out because of his resistance to attend a Sunday meeting convened by the then chief justice Dattu.
The resentment against the appointment of Gowri is from two retired judges whose political affiliations are known to all. An affidavit submitted by the then police chief K Ramanujam to the High Court stated that there are 1200 lawyers with criminal backgrounds in Tamil Nadu and 1424 criminal cases filed against these lawyers under sections ranging from murder, dacoity, sexual assault, criminal misconduct, dowry harassment, and Kangaroo Court. Gowri has every right to have her own views about any issues facing the nation. Her critics are silent about the fact that she holds a crucial position in Kurian Abraham and Company, a leading business house in Kanyakumari. She is also the legal consultant to many Christian business groups. She was honored as the best female lawyer by St Francis Engineering College, Tirunelveli. Gowri is a strong proponent of setting up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in Tamil Nadu so that the poor and downtrodden get the opportunity to study in public schools. It seems the Dravidians and Marxists do not approve of a developed Tamil Nadu.
