Justice Ramanlal Maneklal Kantawala (6 October 1916 – 2 May 1992) was the Chief Justice of the

Bombay High Court The High Court of Bombay is the high court of the states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily at Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), and is one of the ol ...

from 1972 to 1978. He acted as the

Governor of Maharashtra The governor of Maharashtra is the ceremonial head of the state of Maharashtra. The Constitution of India confers the executive powers of the state to the governor, however the de facto executive powers lie with the Council of Ministers. Bhagat ...

state twice in 1976 and 1977.

Background

Kantawala studied at the Cambay High School and

Gujarat College Gujarat Arts & Science College, popularly and previously known as Gujarat College, is one of the oldest educational institution of India and second arts and science college of Gujarat, near Ellis Bridge, Ahmedabad. The institution was founded ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

. Later, he went to

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the ed ...

and the

Government Law College, Bombay The Government Law College, Mumbai, (GLC Mumbai), founded in 1855, is the one of the oldest law schools in Asia. The college, affiliated to the University of Mumbai, is run by the Government of Maharashtra. Bal Gangadhar Tilak ,Pratibha Pa ...

. Kantawala graduated in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

with highest distinctions and was awarded the 'Daxina Fellowship' by the

University of Bombay The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...

. He was a third generation lawyer in his family.

Career

Kantawala enrolled as an advocate on the Appellate side of the High Court of Bombay in 1941 and joined its Original side after clearing his Advocate's O.S. Examination two years later. B. J. Divan had also appeared alongside him there. S. T. Desai and

Hormasji Maneckji Seervai Hormasji "Homi" Maneckji Seervai (1906–1996) was an Indian jurist, lawyer and writer. He is also considered to be a renowned Constitutional expert, and his works are cited popularly in various Indian cases as well as journals. Early life ...

were two of the examiners for this purpose. Kantawala worked in the chambers of Natwarlal H. Bhagwati who went on to become a Justice at the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

later. Kantawala was appointed an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court in February 1962 and made a Permanent Judge at the court in 1964.

Notable judgements

* The Bombay Committee of Lawyers for Civil Liberties was to hold a private discussion meeting on

Civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...

and

Rule of law The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica ...

restricted to lawyers and by invitation. This was in the wake of the Proclamation of Emergency by the then

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

. M. C. Chagla and former

Chief Justice of India The chief justice of India (IAST: ) is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India as well as the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Judiciary. The Constitution of India grants power to the president of India to appoint, in consultation w ...

Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah (22 January 1906 – 4 January 1991) was the twelfth Chief Justice of India from 17 December 1970 until his retirement on 21 January 1971. He was born in Ahmedabad. Early life and legal career Shah attended schoolin ...

were scheduled to be two of the speakers. The Police Commissioner denied his permission for the meeting to be held. This was challenged at the

and heard by a Bench of Justices Kantawala and V. D. Tulzapurkar. The court set aside the Commissioner's order in ''Nathwani v. The State''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kantawala, R. M. 1916 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Indian judges Chief Justices of the Bombay High Court Scholars from Ahmedabad University of Mumbai alumni 20th-century Indian lawyers