Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC (; born 16 September 1945) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian politician.

Early life

Ramesh Maharaj was born to

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Indo-Trinidadian Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians or Indian-Trinidadians and Tobagonians, are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Trinidad and Tobago whose ancestors came from India and the wider subcontinent beginning in 1845. Indo-Trinidadians and ...

s, Dolly and Nanan Maharaj, on the 16th of September 1945 in Diamond Village,

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. Maharaj (B/) has over 50 years experience in the legal profession having been admitted to practice at the

English Bar Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. Barristers have traditionally had the role of handling cases for representation in court, both defence and prosecutio ...

in 1967. He has been in private practice as Senior Partner in the chambers of Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Company. He has also been admitted to practice as an attorney in St Vincent and the Grenadines (1990) and Grenada (1993). He is the author of several publications including a booklet entitled "Rule of Law in Trinidad and Tobago."

Member of Parliament

Maharaj first entered the

Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago The Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago is the legislative branch of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The Parliament is bicameral. Besides the President of Trinidad and Tobago, it is composed of the House of Representatives, which is compose ...

as a Temporary Opposition Senator in August 1991, towards the end of the 3rd Republican Parliament. Later that year, he was elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

in 1991 as the Member for

Couva South Couva South is a parliamentary electoral district in the town of Couva. Couva South consists of the southern part of Couva. It came into effect in time for the 1976 Trinidad and Tobago general election. Members of Parliament This constituency ...

, where he served as Opposition Chief Whip. In 1995, he contested and won the Couva South seat, and shortly thereafter was appointed Attorney General, a position he held until October 2001, after facing the polls in 2000. He was sworn in as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs on the 19th of December in 2000. As Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr Maharaj was assigned the responsibility for the Registrar General, Administrator General, Copyright, Patents, Trademarks, Public Trustee, Intellectual Property, Law Reform and Revision, Legislative Drafting and Rent Restriction as well as appointments to Quasi Judicial Bodies. He was also the Official and Provisional Receiver, Provisional Liquidator and Custodian of Enemy Property. In 2008, Maharaj contested and won the Tabaquite constituency for the UNC-A, and had reprised the role of Chief Whip in the 9th Republican Parliament.

Personal life

Maharaj is the son of Nanan Maharaj and Dolly Nanan Maharaj. Maharaj is married to Lynette Maharaj and is the father of one son and twin daughters. Maharaj is also the brother of incarcerated businessman Krishna Maharaj. He is also the brother of Indra Rambachan (''née'' Maharaj) who is the wife of

National Award winner lawyer Roopnarine Rambachan. Maharaj also leads the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Rights Association. Maharaj is married to Lynette Maharaj who is also a lawyer. Maharaj was raised in a

family, however he later converted to

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

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References

From Jailbird to AG, the attorney general's illustrious career - Francis Joseph, ''

Trinidad and Tobago Newsday ''Trinidad and Tobago Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. ''Newsday'' is the newest of the three daily papers after the ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' and the ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'' respectively. The newspaper was fo ...

, April 16, 2000. * http://guardian.co.tt/news/politics/2009/01/19/ramesh-what-war {{DEFAULTSORT:Maharaj, Ramesh 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago lawyers Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent Members of the House of Representatives (Trinidad and Tobago) Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Government ministers of Trinidad and Tobago United National Congress politicians Attorneys General of Trinidad and Tobago People from San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago 21st-century Trinidad and Tobago lawyers