George Bawa Singh (May 1937 – 9 March 1999) was a

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

an judge who served as Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in 1998 and as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court from 1991 to 1998. He previously served as Solicitor General and

Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

Early life

Singh was born in May 1937. His father Bawa Singh Mann was a

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

who had immigrated from India in the 1930s. Singh himself converted to Christianity. He graduated from Wesley College in 1954. That same year, he wrote three poems: "Dawn", "Dusk", and "Soliloquy of a Murderer". He received the Gold Medal for the last one in a national poetry competition.

Career

After his graduation, Singh briefly worked as a primary school teacher before joining the public service in 1955. Starting as a clerk, he eventually became a

customs inspector A customs officer is a law enforcement agent who enforces customs laws, on behalf of a government. Canada Canadian customs officers are members of the Canada Border Services Agency. It was created in 2003 and preceded by the Canada Customs and ...

. Looking for a change in career, Singh entered the Norman Manley Law School in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, where he graduated in 1978. Singh held the posts of Solicitor General and

, and later played a significant role in the establishment of the Family Court, on which he also served as its first judge. In 1991 he was named a Justice of the Supreme Court. He was sworn in as Chief Justice on 2 February 1998, along with Supreme Court Puisne Justices Manuel Sosa and John Rivero. He took up the CJ position at a busy time, when there were plans to add two temporary justices from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to help with processing the sizeable number of civil cases before the court. However, due to Singh's failing health, PM

Manuel Esquivel Sir Manuel Amadeo Esquivel (2 May 1940 – 10 February 2022) was a Belizean politician. As leader of the United Democratic Party, he served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989, and then again from 1993 to 1998. His party's victory in 1984 was ...

transferred him to a less-demanding position as a judge of the Court of Appeal on 26 August 1998, naming Manuel Sosa as the new CJ. The timing of this decision was criticised by the opposition during the 1998 election campaign.

Family

Singh was married and had three sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. Among his sons is former Minister of Police

Douglas Singh Douglas "Dough" Singh is a Belizean politician and a member of the United Democratic Party. He is the former Minister of Police and Public Security in Prime Minister Dean Barrow's cabinet 2010. Personal life Singh's father George Singh was a Just ...

and former CEO of Trade and Investments for Belize, Michael Singh.

Death

Singh died of a long-term illness on 9 March 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, George 1937 births 1999 deaths Belizean Christians Belizean people of Indian descent Chief justices of Belize Converts to Christianity from Sikhism Directors of Public Prosecutions of Belize People associated with the Norman Manley Law School Solicitors-General of Belize