Chennai, Feb 7, (LAB) Lawyer Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, whose appointment was being opposed for her alleged hate speech was sworn in as an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court today.
Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice T. Raja administered the oath of office and secrecy to Gowri, along with four other lawyers.
Gowri thanked the country, her two daughters and spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi. She especially thanked her husband for staying by her side through all her experiments in life.
Justice Gowri in her address after being sworn in as an additional judge said that she would dispense justice in realising the dreams of the makers of the Constitution.
While the swearing-in ceremony was going on at the Madras High Court, the Supreme Court rejected the two petitions challenging her elevation.
Justice Gowri thanked the Supreme Court judges including Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud. Gowri said she hailed from a very remote village (West Neiyur) in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu and is a first-generation lawyer from a ‘very ordinary family.’ She thanked all her senior advocates, including Maniraj and Jacob Fletcher.
Her appointment to the post of Additional Judge has witnessed some unprecedented moments in the history of the Indian Judiciary.
It all began on January 17 this year, when the Supreme Court Collegium proposed her name for elevation to the Madras High Court.
The recommendation became a big issue for discussion both in legal circles and on social media, spurring debates over her credentials and alleged affiliation to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
An unverified Twitter account allegedly belonging to Gowri claimed in its bio that she was the National General Secretary of BJP Mahila Morcha./LAB/SNG/