Sir George Baxandall Constantine (22 June 1902 – 8 September 1969) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and Pakistani jurist who served as the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court, and prior to that,
Governor of Sindh
The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Minister of Sindh, chief minister and t ...
for a brief tenure.
In 1955, he was elevated as the
justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
of the
Supreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court of Pakistan ( ur, ; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Established in accordance to thePart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it has ultimate a ...
in 1955 and served until 1960.
Considered original textualist in his jurisprudence, he gained public importance when he termed
Sir Malik Ghulam's attempt to dissolve the
Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
illegal, ruling in favour of the
Speaker of the National Assembly,
Maulvi Tamizuddin
Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan (M. T. Khan; March 1889 – 19 August 1963) was the Speaker of Pakistan's Constituent Assembly from 1948 to 1954 and National Assembly of Pakistan between 1962 and 1963.
Early life
Khan was born to a farmer with only thr ...
to restore
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Nazimuddin's administration.
In his famous Irish accent, he went on to declare the assembly as sovereign but Chief Justice Munir overturned Constantine's decision in the historic Maulvi Tamizuddin case.
Biography
George Baxandall Constantine was born in
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
on 2 June 1902 into an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
-English family.
He was educated at the
Bradford Grammar School
Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational independent day school located in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Entrance is by examination, except for the sixth form, where admission is based on GCSE results. The school g ...
and attended the
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
where he graduated with a
LBB degree.
He joined the
Indian Civil Service
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947.
Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...
in 1926, serving in the judicial services of the empire.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine, George Baxandall
1902 births
1969 deaths
English people of Irish descent
People from Bedford
People educated at Bradford Grammar School
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
Indian Civil Service (British India) officers
Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
Governors of Sindh
Chief Justices of the Sindh High Court
Pakistani people of Anglo-Irish descent
Pakistani people of English descent
Pakistani people of Irish descent
Pakistani judges
British people in colonial India
Knights Bachelor
Pakistani civil servants