Victoria Gowri sworn in additional HC judge, swears by Constitution

Chennai: Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri took oath as additional judge of the Madras High Court on Tuesday, minutes before the Supreme Court rejected a petition challenging her appointment over her alleged hate speech against minorities.
Gowri, in her address, after being sworn in as additional judge by Acting Chief Justice, T Raja asserted that she would dispense justice in realising the dreams of the makers of the Constitution. She was administered the oath of office at around 10.45 AM while the top court was hearing arguments on why Gowri should not be elevated. While the Supreme Court refused to entertain the plea seeking to restrain Gowri from taking oath as additional judge, sources close to the petitioners said that the apex court’s ruling signalled the end of the matter and there appeared to be no scope to take the legal fight forward.The sources, who did not want to be named, told PTI that the petitioners are not activists and taking up the matter to SC to oppose Gowri’s appointment was an act of duty to safeguard, preserve and protect the independence of judiciary and the values of the Constitution. The petitioner-lawyers are Anna Mathew, Sudha Ramalingam and D Nagasaila who in their plea referred to the alleged hate speeches made by Gowri against Muslims and Christians. Gowri, in her speech, cited a quote of Swami Vivekananda and said she is conscious that she is handed over the ‘greatest responsibility of being a judge’ to work for the cause of the ‘unheard and the oppressed voices of the poorest of the poor,’ to liberate the marginalised, ‘scuttle’ inequalities of society and nurture fraternity in the diverse country.