Justice P. Janaki Amma (1920–2005), was a former judge of the

Kerala High Court The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...

. She was the second woman in India to be a judge of a High Court. She served as a judge until 22 April 1982. A lifetime spinster, she died in 2005 after a prolonged illness.

Early life and career

Janaki Amma was born in a village in

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

district of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and lived most of her life in

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

. She joined the Cochin Praja Mandalam after completing her studies and later joined the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. She participated in the

Indian Independence Movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

from 1940 to 1944 . She was a member of the Ernalkulam Municipality from 1949 to 1953. She was also the first woman municipal chairperson of Travancore-Cochin. She left active politics after joining the judicial services. High Court of Kerala Building

Judiciary

She started her legal career as a junior advocate to

Panampilly Govinda Menon Panampilly Govinda Menon (1 October 1906 – 23 May 1970) was an Indian politician, freedom fighter, and lawyer. He was born in a village near Kathikkudam and completed graduation from '' St.Thomas College, Thrissur''. He started his legal pra ...

and later on served as district magistrate, district and sessions judge of

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

Tellicherry Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (Karna ...

and

Manjeri Manjeri () is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is the fourth-most populous municipality in state. It is situated southeast to Karipur International Airport and northeast to Malappuram, the district hea ...

prior to her elevation to the High Court. She was appointed as a judge of the

on 30 May 1974, becoming the second woman in India to have occupied that seat. She retired from the

on 22 April 1982.

Probes and enquiry commissions

She continued to be very active in the judiciary field after retiring from the High Court. In 1983, she was appointed by the state government to probe the Vypeen liquor tragedy that killed several people. Based on her recommendations, the government amended section 57(A) of the Abkari Act. The section deals with the prevention of adulteration of liquor with noxious substances that could endanger human life or cause grievous hurt. Under the section, enforcement officials, if found guilty of not taking reasonable precautions to prevent adulteration of liquor with lethal substances, could face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and fine up to Rs. 50,000. She was engaged by the

Kerala Government Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

in other probes and enquiry commissions.

People's Council for Social Justice (PCSJ)

In 1985, she became the founder president of the People's Council for Social Justice (PCSJ), an organization that was created by the initiative of Shri Justice

V. R. Krishna Iyer Justice Vaidyanathapuram Rama Krishna Iyer (15 November 1915 – 4 December 2014) was an Indian judge who became a pioneer of judicial activism. He pioneered the legal-aid movement in the country. Before that, he was a state minister and poli ...

, former Judge of the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

. This organization mainly focuses on the development of women, children, scheduled castes scheduled tribes and other backward sections of society to ensure social justice through legal assistance and legal education. PCSJ has extended its activity towards uplifting the living standards of the disadvantaged and make them aware of their rightful place in the society.

Greenery in Kochi

She was popular for her efforts related to providing greenery in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amma, Janaki 1920 births 2005 deaths Judges of the Kerala High Court 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Politicians from Thrissur Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala People from Ernakulam district Women in Kerala politics Indian independence activists from Kerala 20th-century Indian judges Women from the Kingdom of Cochin Women Indian independence activists Women educators from Kerala Educators from Kerala 20th-century Indian women judges