Sir Akhlaq Ur-Rahman Choudhury ( bn, আখালেক উর-রহমান চৌধুরী; born 23 April 1967) is a British High Court judge of England and Wales. In 2017, he was made Knight Bachelor on appointment, becoming the first British-Bangladeshi and Muslim to be appointed to the High Court of Justice.

Early life

Choudhury was born in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Hampshire, England to a Bengali Muslim family. When he was four years old, his family moved to Scotland where he grew up in Bishopbriggs on the outskirts of Glasgow. Choudhury's Sylheti parents had migrated to the United Kingdom before the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

from

Zakiganj Zakiganj ( bn, জকিগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. History There are a few theories behind the name of Zakiganj. The first is that is derived from Shah Zaki, a pir who established a khanqah ...

Sylhet District Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...

, in erstwhile East Pakistan. In the UK, Choudhury's father ran a restaurant business. Choudhury attended Balmuildy Primary and then Bishopbriggs High School for five years. In 1988, he graduated from University of Glasgow with a BSc degree in physics. In 1991, he graduated from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London with a first-class honours LLB.

Career

In 1992, Choudhury moved to London, he was called to the

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

( Inner Temple) and started practising as a barrister at 11 King's Bench Walk Chambers (now known as 11 KBW). Between 1999 and 2005, Choudhury was a member of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

's panel of approved counsel in which capacity he acted for and advised the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...

, the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, HM Revenue and Customs and other Government departments. Between 2009 and 2011, he was a committee member of the Employment Law Bar Association. He was one of the standing counsel for the Information Commissioner's Office. In 2009, Choudhury was appointed as a recorder on the South East Circuit. In 2015, he was appointed Queen's Counsel. In 2016, he was appointed as a deputy High Court Judge. In August 2017, Choudhury was one of the five new appointees as judges of the High Court of Justice, effective from 2 October. He was the first British person of Bangladeshi origin and Muslim faith to have been appointed as a Justice of the High Court of England and Wales and was assigned to the Queen's Bench Division by the

Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

. Choudhury is among two Bangladesh-origin Queen's Counsel. On 20 December 2018, Choudhury was appointed as the President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal with effect from 1 January 2019. Choudhury was a member of the

's A-panel of counsel and advised the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence, HM Revenue and Customs and various other government departments. He was retained as counsel for the Information Commissioner and appeared in cases in the area of freedom of information and data protection law.

Awards and recognition

In October 2017, Choudhury was appointed Knight Bachelor in

2017 Special Honours As part of the British honours system, Special Honours are issued at the Monarch's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards made within royal prerogative, operational honours and other honours awarded outside the New Year ...

for members of the judiciary.

Personal life

Choudhury lives in Northwood, London, with his wife, Safina, and their three children.

References

External links