Senior Advocate Iqbal Chagla Passes Away

One of India's leading lawyers and a doyen of the Bombay Bar Association (BBA), senior Advocate Iqbal Chagla died on Sunday (January 12).Iqbal, the son of former Bombay High Court Chief Justice MC Chagla, was unwell and died at the age of 86. He was the father of sitting judge of Bombay HC Justice Riyaz Chagla. Confirming the information, BBA President Nitin Thakker, said, "Yes, Mr Chagla is no more. He was unwell. The last rites will be performed on Monday at Worli Crematorium,"Born in 1939, Chagla obtained an MA in History and Law from Cambridge University. He was then called to the Bombay Bar and was in 1970s, conferred with Senior Advocate's gown. From 1990 to 1999, Chagla held the office of the President of the BBA - three terms. Besides, he also served as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of India and a Member of the National Legal Services Authority (NLSA), Delhi. It would not be out of place to mention that Chagla refused to accept the offer of judgeship of the Supreme Court directly from the Bar. Had he accepted the offer, he would have become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) within a few years. Notably, in 1990s when Chagla led the BBA he had moved resolutions demanding resignations of five judges of the Bombay HC. Some of the judges resigned or were transferred. It was Chagla, who in 1995 moved another resolution seeking resignation of them Chief Justice of the HC - Justice AM Bhattacharjee.Facing staunch opposition over their integrity, some of the five judges resigned and some were transferred. Also, Chief Justice Bhattacharjee, who took faced questions on integrity, resigned from his post after Chagla compelled him to. One of the legal luminaries from the Bombay Bar, Chagla was one of the most sought-after counsels in civil litigation and company matters. He had completed nearly 60 years as a member of the BBA and had appeared in many high-profile cases as one of the most distinguished Senior Advocate of the Bombay High Court. He also had appeared in international arbitrations and had advised on proceedings in foreign courts.

Senior Advocate Iqbal Chagla Passes Away

Narsi Benwal

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