Basheer Ahmed Sayeed (20 February 1900 – 7 February 1984) was an Indian judge, politician and educationist who served as a member of the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...

and served as a founder-member of the South Indian Education Trust (SIET).

Early life

Sayeed was born in Mylapore,

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

on 20 February 1900 in a wealthy family of

Nawayath The Nawayath (also spelled as Navayath and Nawayat and also called Nait, Naiti , Naithee and Naita) are an Indian community and a subgroup of Konkani Muslims. They speak the Nawayathi dialect of Konkani. The term, as described by Qanoon-e-Isl ...

lineage. His father was a powerful landlord in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

. Sayeed graduated from the

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institu ...

and studied law at the

Madras Law College Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, commonly known by its former name Madras Law College, is a law school, located in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. It is also referred to as Government Law College or GLC, Chennai. It was established in ...

, completing his graduation and enrolling as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

in 1925.

Social and political life

Sayeed was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1926 as a candidate of the Muslim League and served till 1936. In the 1937 elections, he was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly as a candidate of the League. As independence approached, Sayeed left the Muslim League and joined the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. In July 1949, Sayeed was appointed acting judge of the Madras High Court and as one of the puisne judges in January 1950. He served as a judge of the High Court till retirement in 1960. Sayeed was one of the founder-members of the South Indian Education Trust whose main objective was to promote education and literacy among the Muslims of South India. The trust established the SIET Women's College in 1955. Sayeed was also the Vice President of the Madras Library Association and the

Madras Music Academy Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...

. As Vice President of the Music Academy, he was instrumental in obtaining for the academy its own building.

Death

Sayeed died in Madras on 7 February 1984 at the age of 83. The SIET Women's College at Teynampet, Madras was renamed Justice Basheer Ahmed College for Women in his honour. The road where he lived is named Bashyam-Basheer Ahmed Road jointly in honour of Basheer Ahmed Sayeed and fellow advocate and politician K. Bashyam Iyengar.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sayeed, Basheer Ahmed 1900 births 1984 deaths Madras Christian College alumni