Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee dies: A veteran jurist and Constitutional law expert

Former Attorney General for India and veteran jurist, Soli Sorabjee passed away on Friday morning, aged 91.

NEW DELHI: Former Attorney General of India and veteran jurist, Soli Sorabjee passed away on Friday morning, aged 91. According to his family sources, he died due to COVID-19 related complications.

The veteran jurist was born in 1930 in Bombay. The 91-year-old Constitutional law expert was recently infected with COVID-19, family sources said.

He was admitted to a private hospital in South Delhi after getting infected with COVID-19.

Former Attorney General of India, Soli Sorabjee passes away at the age of 91 years.

(File photo) pic.twitter.com/FB3ATuisz8

— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2021

Condoling his death, President Ram Nath Kovind said, "In the passing of Soli Sorabji, we lost an icon of India's legal system. He was among a select few who deeply influenced the evolution of the constitutional law & justice system. Awarded with Padma Vibhushan, he was among the most eminent jurists. Condolences to his family & associates."

In passing of Soli Sorabji, we lost an icon of India's legal system. He was among select few who deeply influenced evolution of constitutional law & justice system. Awarded with Padma Vibhushan, he was among most eminent jurists. Condolences to his family & associates: President pic.twitter.com/JHNaL8W0oW — ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2021

PM Narendra Modi also expressed shock over his death. "Shri Soli Sorabjee was an outstanding lawyer and intellectual. Through the law, he was at the forefront of helping the poor and downtrodden. He will be remembered for his noteworthy tenures as India’s Attorney General. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers," the PM said.

Shri Soli Sorabjee was an outstanding lawyer and intellectual. Through law, he was at the forefront of helping the poor and downtrodden. He will be remembered for his noteworthy tenures India’s Attorney General. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2021

Soli Jehangir Sorabjee had served as the Attorney General of India from 1989-90 and then from 1998-2004. Sorabjee began his legal practice in the year 1953 at the Bombay High Court.

In 1971, he was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India. He became the Attorney General of India, first from 1989-90 and then from 1998-2004.

He was also a renowned human rights lawyer. The UN appointed him as a Special Rapporteur for Nigeria, in 1997, to report on the human rights situation in that country.

Following this, he was made 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 has also served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague from 2000 to 2006.

Sorabjee was a champion of freedom of speech and expression and had defended freedom of the press in many landmark cases in the Supreme Court.

During his illustrious career, Sorabjee was also involved in many cases, defending the freedom of speech and expression and has been instrumental in revoking censorship orders and bans on publications.

He had penned several books on this subject - The Laws of Press Censorship in India (1976); The Emergency, Censorship and the Press in India, 1975-77 (1977).

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Vibhushan in March 2002 for his defence of freedom of speech and the protection of human rights.

He has appeared before the Supreme Court in certain landmark cases like Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978), SR Bommai v. Union of India (1994), BP Singhal v. Union of India (2010), etc.