Soli Sorabjee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sorabjee in 2011 | |
| 7thAttorney General of India | |
| In office 7 April 1998 – 4 June 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Ashok Desai |
| Succeeded by | Milon K. Banerji |
| In office 9 December 1989 – 2 December 1990 | |
| Preceded by | K. Parasaran |
| Succeeded by | G. Ramaswamy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1930-03-09)9 March 1930 |
| Died | 30 April 2021(2021-04-30) (aged 91) Delhi, India |
| Awards | Padma Vibhushan Padma Bhushan Member of the Order of Australia |
Soli Jehangir Sorabjee,AM (9 March 1930 – 30 April 2021) was an Indian jurist who served asAttorney-General for India from 1989 to 1990, and again from 1998 to 2004.[1] In 2002, he received thePadma Vibhushan for his defence of the freedom of expression and the protection of human rights.[2][3]
Soli Jehangir Sorabjee was born on 9 March 1930 inBombay to aParsi family.[4][5] He studied at Bharda New High School, Mumbai andSt. Xavier's College, Mumbai andGovernment Law College, Mumbai, and was admitted to the bar in 1953.[6] At Government Law College, he was awarded the Kinloch Forbes Gold Medal inRoman Law andJurisprudence (1952).[7]
In 1971, Sorabjee was designated a senior advocate of theBombay High Court. He served asSolicitor-General of India from 1977 to 1980. He was appointedAttorney-General for India on 9 December 1989 up to 2 December 1990, and then again on 7 April 1998, a post he held until 2004.[3]
In March 2002, Soli Sorabjee received thePadma Vibhushan for his defence of the freedom of expression and the protection of human rights.[8] DuringThe Emergency (1975-1977), Sorabjee provided legal services to political prisoners.[4] He later worked on theCitizen's Justice Committee which represented the1984 anti-Sikh riots victimspro bono.[9]
In March 2006 he was appointed an honorary member of theOrder of Australia (AM), "for service to Australia-India bilateral legal relations".[10]
Sorabjee was involved in several precedent-setting cases concerning the interpretation of theConstitution of India. Sorabjee andFali Nariman assisted the petitioner's counsel inKesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, which restricted Parliament from altering the "basic structure" of the Constitution. As Solicitor-General, he was a member of the government's legal delegation inManeka Gandhi v Union of India, which held that Article 21 of the Constitution promulgated the right of personal liberty.[11] He was also involved inS. R. Bommai v. Union of India, which imposed restrictions onPresident's rule,[12] andI.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu, which held that laws passed under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution are not exempt fromjudicial review.[13] He appeared in the case ofB.P. Singhal v. Union of India, in which the Supreme Court held thatstate governors could not be dismissed without due cause.[14] He aided the petitioner inShreya Singhal v. Union of India, which targeted restrictions on online speech in theInformation Technology Act, 2000.[12]
He was the chairman ofTransparency International and Convenor of theMinority Rights Group. He served asSpecial Rapporteur toNigeria for theUnited Nations Human Rights Commission in 1997, and as a member of theUnited Nations Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities from 1998 onwards. Sorabjee served as member of thePermanent Court of Arbitration atThe Hague from 2000 to 2006.[15]
Soli J. Sorabjee was vice-president of theCommonwealth Lawyers Association and a member of the Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament Law of theInternational Law Association.[15]
Sorabjee was a close friend and colleague ofNanabhoy Palkhivala. Sorabjee's daughter,Zia Mody, is also a lawyer and partner atAZB & Partners.[15] Zia Mody is the author of the book10 Judgements that Changed India.[16] Sorabjee is also survived by three sons—Jehangir, a doctor, Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of the Autocar India magazine and Jamshed.[17]—and seven grandchildren named Niki, Ardeshir, Raian, Maya, Anjali, Aarti, and Aditi.[18]
Sorabjee was the first president of theJazz India Association. He played theclarinet; his favourite artists includedBenny Goodman andDizzy Gillespie.[4]
He died ofCOVID-19, on 30 April 2021 in a private hospital inDelhi where he was undergoing treatment.[17]
He also wrote columns for theIndian Express.[19]
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