Krishna Savjani OBE SC (born 1947) is a

Malawian This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Malawi ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

. He is the founder of Savjani and Company, Malawi's leading law firm according to Chambers and Partners. He is also Senior Consul, an appointment made by the President of Malawi. Senior Counsel is the equivalent of Queen's Counsel in England. He is the British Honorary Consul since 1998, the first person to be appointed so in Malawi. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 2003.

Early life

Savjani was born in Jamnagar, India. According to personal testimony, Savjani's father, Haridas Manji Savjani, came to Malawi in 1933 at the age of 16. He started his own business just before the Second World War and succeeded in importing goods during wartime when shipping was at risk. He went to India at the end of the Second World War to get married. Krishna Savjani came to Malawi as a nine-month-old baby. He attended Sir Robert Armitage High School in Limbe where, according to personal testimony, he arranged for the school to invite eminent politicians like

Kanyama Chiume Kanyama Chiume (22 November 1929 – 21 November 2007), born Murray William Kanyama Chiume, was a leading nationalist in the struggle for Malawi's independence in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also one of the leaders of the Nyasaland African Congress ...

and Henry Chipembere to come and debate.

Legal career

Krishna Savjani was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in July 1969. In 1978, he established the law firm Savjani & Co. He was appointed Senior Consul, an appointment made by the President of Malawi. Senior Counsel is the equivalent of Queen's Counsel in England.

Advisory Committee on Appointment of Senior Counsel

Savjani is a member of the four-person Advisory Committee (comprising the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the President of the Malawi Law Society and Mr. Savjani) on the appointment of Senior Counsel. Mr. Savjani became its member in July 1999 when it was established. He was involved in the drafting of its rules.

Honorary Legal Appointment

Krishna Savjani has been Honorary Legal Adviser to the British High Commissioner in Malawi since 1994.

Malawi Stock Exchange

Krishna Savjani acted as Chairman of the Malawi Stock Exchange from 2000 to 2010. Initially involved in the working committee to consider the need for a stock exchange, Krishna Savjani subsequently played an active role in drawing the listing rules. He was also previously Chairman of the Listing Committee.

Mwanza Accident Commission of Inquiry

Krishna Savjani was one of the members of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, in 1994, into the so-called Mwanza Motor accident resulting in the death of three senior Cabinet ministers and one Member of Parliament in 1982: Dick Matenje, Twaibu Sangala, Aaron Gadama, and David Chiwanga. The commission was appointed soon after the fall of Kamuzu Banda when Malawi changed from a one party state to a multiparty state.

Other activities

Mr. Savjani has acted as spokesman for the Asian community in Malawi from 1971.

Honours

* He was awarded Order of the British Empire by

in 2003.

References

Literature

* B, Pachai, ''Malawi, past and present''. (Blantyre: CLAIM, 1972). * B, Pachai, ''Malawi: the history of the nation''. (London: Longman, 1973). * B, Pachai, (Ed) ''The early history of Malawi'', (London: Longman, 1973). * D.D Phiri, ''History of Malawi.'' (Blantyre: CLAIM, 2004) * D.D Phiri, ''History of Malawi. Vol. 2'' (Blantyre: College Publishing Company, 2010) * O, Kalinga and C, Crosby, ''Historical Dictionary of Malawi'', 3rd ed. (Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2001)

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20140515024900/http://www.chambersandpartners.com/person/31290/2 * http://www.africalegalnetwork.com/pareas/capital-markets-3/ * http://www.european-times.com/sector/finance-consulting/savjani-co/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Savjani, Krishna 1947 births Living people Malawian diplomats 20th-century Malawian lawyers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Members of Gray's Inn People from Jamnagar 21st-century Malawian lawyers