Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General dies of corona Infection

New Delhi, Apr 30: Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General, passed away this morning at a private hospital in Delhi due to coronavirus infection at the ripe age of 91.

Considered as one of the finest legal brains of India, Sorabjee was recipient of Padma Vibhushan Award for his major contribution in the legal field through whcich he helped countless poor and downtrodden people.

Sorabjee, a senior lawyer was undergoing treatment for coronavirus infection at a private hospital in Delhi.

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana paid rich tribute to Soli Sorabjee saying, “Sad News. One of our legal luminaries and human rights activists, Soli Sorabjee, passed away. May his soul nrest in peace.”

The CJI remarked “Soli J Sorabjee served the office of Attorney General of India twice with great distinction. His humane and compassionate approach defined his legal work. His body of work, spread over nearly seven decades, in defending the fundamental rights and human rights is of international repute. He will be remembered as a legend who added strength to the pillars of democracy."

Born in 1930 at Mumbai, Soli Sorabjee began his career in legal field in 1953 as a lawyer in Bombay High Court. He was designated as a senior counsel in 1971. He was involved in many landmark Supreme Court cases and argued for free speech and press freedom, limiting the police power of the state and a vibrant democracy protected from overreach by prime ministers and governors.

A junior to iconic giant of constitutional law Nani Palkhiwala, Soli Sorabjee was involved in the Keshavananda Bharti case that sought to protect the basic structure of the constitution. He was also the part of the Bommai judgment that cracked down the misuse of Article 356 by the central government to dismiss the state governments.

During the Emergency of 1975 imposed by Indira Gandhi's Congress government, Mr Sorabjee emerged as a fierce defender of human rights and media freedoms.

He first became the Attorney General in 1989 and again from 1998 to 2004. He was appointed as a UN Special Rapporteur for Nigeria in 1997. He was internationally acclaimed as a passionate human rights champion who had been a votary of protection of fundamental rights.

He was the chairman of the UN Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights from 1998 to 2004. He was also a prominent member of the UN Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. He was also a member of the UN world court or the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague from 2000 to 2006.

Ensuring Indian victory over Pakistan in the International Court of Justice for the Atlantique drowning case in 1999 was his one of the notable achievements. In 2008, following the Mumbai Terror accack, Sorabjee filed a PIL in the Supreme Court directing the centre to provide adequate training and efficient equipment to the police force enabling them to counter terrorism effectively and protect the lives of the citizens.

Soli Sorabjee is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Sorabjee and his wife together tested positive for the novel coronavirus. While his wife recovered, Sorabjee succumbed to the deadly infectious disease because he had underlying co-morbidities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Sarkaryawah Dattatreya Hosabale, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and many others paid tributes to the eminent jurist. PM Narendra Modi described him as an outstanding lawyer and an intellectual who was at the forefront to help the poor and downtrodden people.