Mohammad Hidayatullah
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| Mohammad Hidayatullah | |
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| In office August 31, 1979 – August 30, 1984 |
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| President | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
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| Preceded by | Basappa Danappa Jatti |
| Succeeded by | Ramaswamy Venkataraman |
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Acting
President of India |
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| In office July 20, 1969 – August 24, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Varahagiri Venkata Giri |
| Succeeded by | Varahagiri Venkata Giri |
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| In office February 25, 1968 – December 16, 1970 |
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| Nominated by | none (per convention as he was the senior most judge) |
| Preceded by | Kailas Nath Wanchoo |
| Succeeded by | Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah |
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| Born | December 17, 1905 Lucknow, British Raj |
| Died | September 18, 1992 (aged 86) |
| Political party | Independent |
Mohammad Hidayatullah, OBE (17 December 1905 - 18 September 1992) was the first Muslim Chief Justice of India. He served as the Acting President of India on two occasions and was also the Vice-President of India for one complete term. The Hidayatullah National Law University at Naya Raipur has its name based on him.
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[edit] Early life and education [1] [2]
After completing primary education at the Government High School of Raipur in 1922, Hidayatullah attended Morris College in Nagpur, where he was nominated as the Phillip's Scholar in 1926. Following the trend of Indians studying British law abroad, Hidayatullah attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge from 1927 to 1930. Here he secured the 2nd order of merit and was awarded a Gold Medal for his performance in 1930.
While at Cambridge, Hidayatullah was elected and served as the President of the Indian Majlis in 1929. Also while here, he pursued English and Law Tripos from the renowned Lincoln's Inn. In addition he secured a place of Barrister-at-Law in 1930.
[edit] Judicial Career [1] [2]
After graduation, Hidayatullah returned to India to serve as an advocate at the Nagpur High Court from 1930 to 1946. During this time he served as Government Pleader from 1942-1943, as well as an Advocate General of the Central Provinces and Berar (now Uttar Pradesh) from 1943 to 1946.
In 1946, Hidayatullah was appointed as a judge at the Nagpur High Court, where he served until being elevated to Chief Justice of the Nagpur High Court in 1954. Hidayatullah served as the Chief Justice here until 1956, and was subsequently appointed the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in November of 1956.
Following this longstanding experience in the state's court circuit, Hidayatullah was eventually elevated as a Justice to the Supreme Court of India in December of 1958. After serving as a Justice for nearly 10 years, Hidayatullah took oath as Chief Justice of India on February 28, 1968 - becoming the first Muslim Chief Justice of India. He retired from this position on December 16, 1970.
[edit] Other roles [1] [2]
[edit] Presidency
In 1969, Hidayatullah served as the Acting President of India being ex officio Chief Justice. After retiring from the post of Chief Justice, he was elected as the Vice President of India in August of 1979, serving a full term in office until 1984. During his term he served again as Acting President ex officio Vice President of India.
Having served at all of these positions made Hidayatullah unique among other members of Indian history. Justice Hidayatullah became the only person to have served in all three offices of Chief Justice of India, President of India, and the Vice President of India.
[edit] Career in Nagpur
Before becoming involved in national politics and serving as Supreme Court Justice, Hidayatullah was involved in local and state affairs. The following are some of the committee positions he held:
- Member of the Nagpur Municipal Committee (1931-1933)
- Member of the Nagpur University's Executive and Academic Councils (1934-1953)
- Member of the Nagpur Improvement Trust (1943-1945)
- Member of the Nagpur Bar Council (1943-1946)
- Chief Commissioner of the Madhya Pradesh Bharat Scouts and Guides (1950-1953)
Many of these positions, as well as those of High Court Justice were held prior to Indian Independence, they were all considered service to Great Britain, thus Hidayatullah was conferred the honor of Order of British Empire by the Royal Family of Britain in 1946.
[edit] Teaching
Having received an education at one of the premier legal institutions of the time, Hidayatullah was able to segue into an academic career not long after returning to India. In 1935, he took a teaching post at University College of Law - where he taught until 1943. Later he served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at Nagpur University from 1949 to 1953. In addition, he served as Faculty of Law at various other institutions throughout the 1950's: Sagar University, Court Vikram University, and the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University.
Post-retirement Hidayatullah renewed his interest in Boy Scouts and served as Chief Scout of the All India Boy Scouts Association from 1982 to 1992. [1]
[edit] Legacy
In his honor, the Hidayatullah National Law University was established in 2003, in his home town of Raipur, in the now state of Chattisgarh.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c "M. Hidayatullah". www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in. http://www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in/judges/bio/mhidayatullah.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ a b c "EBC article on J. Hidayatullah". www.ebc-india.com. http://www.ebc-india.com/lawyer/articles/92v4a2.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Basappa Danappa Jatti |
Vice President of India August 31, 1979 - August 30, 1984 |
Succeeded by Ramaswamy Venkataraman |
| Preceded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri Acting |
Acting President of India May 13, 1962 - May 13, 1967 |
Succeeded by Varahagiri Venkata Giri President |
| Preceded by Kailas Nath Wanchoo |
Chief Justice of India February 25, 1968 - December 16, 1970 |
Succeeded by Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah |
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