Ratnavel Pandian

Justice S. Rathinavel Pandian (13 March 1929 - 28 February 2018) was a judge of the Supreme Court of India. He was among the nine judges on 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, Justice Pandian 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.