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Zakia Jafri Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 21, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth1937

Age85 Years (as of 2022)

BirthplaceKhandwa, Princely State of Indore, British India (now Madhya Pradesh, India)

ProfessionHomemaker

NationalityIndian

Marital statusWidow

SpouseEhsan Jafri

FamilyTwo sons (Tanvir Jafri, Zubair Jafri) and one daughter (Nishrin Jafri Hussain)

Zakia Jafri Biography

Zakia Jafri is the widow of Congress MP Ehsan Jafri and a homemaker who became a prominent petitioner seeking accountability for the killings at Gulbarg in

Early life and background

Zakia Ahsan Jafri was born in 1937 in Khandwa, then part of the Princely State of Indore under British India (now in Madhya Pradesh). Her family background included farming; the names of her parents are not publicly recorded in the available material. She moved with her family to Ahmedabad in 1971 after spending a period in a refugee camp following communal violence in Khandwa in 1969 that left their home burned.

Career

By profession Zakia Jafri is described as a homemaker. Her public profile changed dramatically after the violence of February 2002 in Gujarat. Her husband, Ehsan Jafri, a Congress politician and former Member of Parliament, was killed during the attacks on the Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad on 28 February 2002. Zakia and her children survived by taking refuge inside their house.

Following the massacre, Zakia Jafri became a leading voice seeking legal redress for the victims of Gulbarg. In June 2006 she filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the state response to the 2002 violence; that petition was lodged with civil society activists and former officials. The matter drew national attention and led to the Supreme Court overseeing further investigation, including the creation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in 2008 and later review by the court’s amicus curiae.

Legal developments over the next decade included the SIT’s probe and several judicial decisions. In April 2012 the Supreme Court acquitted some individuals who had been accused in relation to the broader violence. Zakia Jafri and her legal team continued pursuing avenues to obtain the SIT evidence and contest aspects of the investigations; she filed another Supreme Court plea in April 2013 seeking access to the probe materials.

In June 2016 the Supreme Court delivered a detailed verdict on the Gulbarg Society case that resulted in convictions of several individuals and acquittals of others; the court also described 28 February 2002 as a particularly tragic day for Gujarat’s civil society. Zakia publicly expressed her disappointment with aspects of the court’s decision and indicated she would consider further legal options with her lawyers.

In November 2018 Zakia was a co-petitioner in a joint challenge to the SIT’s earlier conclusions. In June 2022 the Supreme Court quashed that joint petition and criticized some of the activists and former officials who had litigated alongside Zakia, characterizing their conduct as an abuse of process. The 2022 order drew responses from civil servants and activists who later urged reconsideration of the ruling.

Public profile

Zakia Jafri is widely known for her role as the wife of Ehsan Jafri and for her persistent legal efforts after the Gulbarg Society massacre. Her religious background is Muslim and her political inclination has been associated with the Indian National Congress. She is also said to write poetry.

Family

Zakia Jafri was married to Ehsan Jafri, who was a lawyer and Congress MP. The couple had three children: two sons and a daughter. Their children are named in available records as Tanvir Jafri, who works in business; Zubair Jafri, who is noted as a chief technical officer in a private U.S. firm; and a daughter, Nishrin Jafri Hussain, who has worked as a deputy manager at L&T. Zakia’s marital status is recorded as widow.

Latest updates

The legal battles connected to the 2002 Gujarat events remained active in public memory and the courts through the 2010s and into the 2020s. In June 2022 the Supreme Court dismissed a long-running joint petition and criticized some of the parties who had litigated with Zakia; subsequent appeals for review and calls for reconsideration were made by former civil servants and activists in mid-2022. Zakia continues to observe the anniversary of 28 February each year by visiting her former home in the Gulbarg Society, which was destroyed in the violence.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Zakia Jafri, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

2006 Supreme Court petition on Gulbarg Society massacre

Filed a public interest petition in the Supreme Court seeking accountability for the killings at Gulbarg and alleging failures by state authorities in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

2006
2013 petition seeking SIT evidence

Filed a follow-up plea in the Supreme Court requesting that the evidence collected by the Special Investigation Team be placed before the court.

2013
2018 joint petition against SIT clean chit

Co-petitioned with activists and former officials challenging the SIT’s exoneration of certain political leaders in relation to the 2002 violence.

2018
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Career Highlights

  1. Became a principal petitioner seeking justice for victims of the Gulbarg Society massacre following the 2002 Gujarat riots
  2. Filed multiple Supreme Court petitions related to the investigations and evidence gathered by the Special Investigation Team
  3. Maintains public remembrance of the Gulbarg Society victims and continues to engage with legal avenues
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Zakia Jafri born?

Zakia Jafri was born on 1937.

What is Zakia Jafri known for?

Zakia Jafri is known for homemaker.

What is Zakia Jafri’s marital status?

Zakia Jafri's marital status is listed as Widow.

Who is Zakia Jafri married to?

Zakia Jafri is publicly listed as married to Ehsan Jafri.