Ratnavel Pandian
The Honourable Justice S Ratnavel Pandian | |
|---|---|
| Judge, Supreme Court of India | |
| In office 14 December 1988 – 12 March 1994 | |
| Appointed by | R. Venkataraman (President of India) |
| Chief Justice(s) | Raghunandan Swarup Pathak (1986-89) E.S. Venkataramiah (1989) Sabyasachi Mukharji (1989-90) Ranganath Misra (1990-91) Kamal Narain Singh (1991) Madhukar Hiralal Kania (1991-92) Lalit Mohan Sharma (1992-93) Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah (1993-94) |
| Chief Justice, Madras High Court | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 March 1929 Thiruppudaimaruthur, Tinnevely District, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Died | 28 February 2018 (aged 88) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Spouse | Lalitha |
| Children | Ratnavel Pandian Subbiah (son) |
| Alma mater | Madras University (BA), (BL) |
Justice S. Rathinavel Pandian (13 March 1929 - 28 February 2018) was a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. He was one among the nine judges in the Constitution Bench which heard the famous Mandal Commission Case "Indira Sawhney vs Union of India". In that judgment delivered in 1992, the reservation for the backward classes was affirmed.
On August 14, 2006, he took charge as the Chairman of the National Commission for Backward Classes. He was given the status of a Cabinet Minister during his tenure, until 2009.