# Ratnavel Pandian

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.

## Early life and education

Pandian was born on 13 March 1929 in Tirupudaimarudur, a village near Ambasamudram in present-day Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. Rathinavel Pandian completed his schooling at Theerthapathi School, Ambasamudram and his college education at St. Xavier College, Tirunelveli. In 1954, he studied law at the Madras Law College.

## Political career

Pandian was the District Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tirunelveli District in the 1960s. When the party president M. Karunanidhi was arrested during the anti-Hindi agitations and was in Palayamkottai Central Prison, Rathinavel Pandian used to visit him every day.
Pandian unsuccessfully contested as a DMK candidate in the assembly constituencies of Ambasamudram (in 1962) and Cheranmadevi (in 1971).
1962 Madras Legislative Assembly election: Ambasamudram :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | INC | G. Gomathisankara Dikshidar | 25,883 | 38.16% | −12.36% |
| | CPI | A. Nallasivan | 20,216 | 29.81% | |
| | DMK | S. Rathinavelpandian | 17,107 | 25.22% | |
| | SWA | R. K. Viswanathan | 3,907 | 5.76% | |
| | Independent | M. P. Annamalai | 707 | 1.04% | |
| Margin of victory | Margin of victory | Margin of victory | 5,667 | 8.36% | −6.20% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 67,820 | 76.33% | 23.28% |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 91,722 | | |
| | INC hold | INC hold | Swing | -12.36% | |
1971 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election: Cheranmadevi :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SWA | D. S. A. Sivaprakasam | 34,739 | 50.14% | New |
| | DMK | S. Ratnavelpandian | 34,546 | 49.86% | New |
| Margin of victory | Margin of victory | Margin of victory | 193 | 0.28% | −9.19% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 69,285 | 77.20% | −3.42% |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 91,676 | | |
| | SWA hold | SWA hold | Swing | -3.64% | |

## Legal career
### As Advocate

In the early days Mr. Ratnavel Pandian, took his apprenticeship with Mr. K. Narayanasamy, Senior Advocate. After Mr. K. Narayanasamy Mudaliar became a Judge of the Madras High Court, Mr. Pandian worked as a Junior Advocate with Mr. Cellapandian and with Mr. Rajagopala Iyer. After 17 years as a lawyer, he was appointed the Attorney General of the Madras High Court in 1971. Vaiko, the future general secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), was one of his junior lawyers.

### As High Court Judge

Mr. Ratnavel Pandian was elevated as a Judge of the Madras High Court in 1974.
The statue of Manu Neethi or Samaneethi Cholan was erected by Justice Ratnavel Pandian at the Madras High Court premises. (The statue of Samaneethi Cholan, who executed his son and sentenced him to death for causing the death of a calf for which the cow had sought justice.)

### As Supreme Court Judge

On December 14, 1988, he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. On March 12, 1994, he retired from his service as the Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

## Post-retirement

After his retirement in 1994, he served as the Chairman of the 5th Pay Commission of India and submitted his final report in April 1997.

## Award

Madras Bar Association had given "Life Time Achievement Award" to Justice S. Ratnavel Pandian. It was presented by Mr. Justice Sathish K. Agnihotri Acting Chief Justice, Madras High Court on 21 June 2014.

## Death

Pandian died on 28 February 2018 due to cardiac arrest at his residence in Anna Nagar locality of Chennai, two weeks before his 89th birthday.

## Family

He is survived by five sons and a daughter. His son Ratnavel Pandian Subbaiah, is a sitting judge of the Madras High Court.