Ghananand Mishra (1916 – April 2005) was a
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
an lawyer and
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
. He was an
Indo-Fijian of
Brahmin stock, whose ancestors hailed from the
Indian
state of
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
.
Mishra served as
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 ...
before his appointment to the
High Court as a
puisne judge. His interpretations of criminal law were pivotal in the development of Fiji's justice system. In 1973, the
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
nominated Mishra for the position of
Chief Justice, in opposition to
Sir Ronald Kermode, who was favoured by the government. In the end,
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Ratu Sir George Cakobau appointed
Sir Timoci Tuivaga instead.
Mishra resigned from the bench in 1987 following the
coup on 14 May, led by Lieutenant Colonel
Sitiveni Rabuka, saying, ''"I will not serve under those bandits."''
In retirement, Mishra faded from public view. He devoted his time to his family, and to his lifelong passion of reading. He also made occasional trips to Kashmir.
Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi called Mishra ''"a fortress of rectitude and integrity that was never breached."''
1916 births
2005 deaths
20th-century Fijian judges
Fijian Hindus
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