#memory
Soli S. Sorabji.
30 April is the death anniversary of Former Attorney General of India and veteran jurist, Soli Sorabjee
(1930- 2022).
Born in Bombay, Soli Jehangir Sorabjee began his legal practice in the year 1953 at the Bombay High Court. He was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India in 1971. He became the Attorney General of India, first from 1989 to 1990 and again from 1998 to 2004.
Sorabjee was also a renowned human rights lawyer. He was appointed by the UN as a Special Rapporteur for Nigeria in 1997 to report on the human rights situation in that country. Following this, he become a member and later Chairman of the UN-Sub Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, from 1998 to 2004. He was a member of the United Nations Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities since 1998. He had also served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at International Court at The Hague from 2000 to 2006.
Sorabjee was involved in many important cases for defending the freedom of speech and expression, and was instrumental in revoking the censorship orders and bans on publications.
His publications on this subject include:
The Laws of Press Censorship in India (1976);
The Emergency, Censorship and the Press in India, 1975-77 (1977).
He has co-authored a book on the famous constitutional cases argued by the great Nani A Palkhivala, whom he had assisted.
In March 2002, he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.
-Joy Kallivayalil.
