Shakir Ali (7 June 1879 – 26 December 1962) was an Indian lawyer and politician. Ali was born in a small town about twenty miles from

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, the capital of Northwestern Provinces, during India's period under British rule. His ancestors acted as Quazi during the Mughal regime. He completed his early education at MAO Aligarh (now

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

). He went to England in 1905 to join Lincoln's Inn in order to obtain a degree in law. In 1908 he graduated and came back to India. He was appointed inspector of Schools, but after some time he decided to resign the post and began practicing as a barrister in Gorakhpur. He became one of India's most notable criminal lawyers, appearing in such important cases as the

Meerut Conspiracy Case The Meerut Conspiracy Case was a controversial court case that was initiated in British Raj in March 1929 and decided in 1933. Several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organizing an Indian railway strike. The Bri ...

, the INA trials (held in Delhi's Red Fort), the Kakori train dacoity and the

Chauri Chaura Chauri Chaura (''Pargana:'' Haveli, Tehsil: Gorakhpur) is a town near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The town is located at a distance of 16km from Gorakhpur, on the State Highway between Gorakhpur and Deoria. The town railway station is loc ...

arson case. During the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

, he joined the Congress and very soon became a force to reckon with in the party. He served on the executive committee of the Congress and was very popular in whole of the eastern region of India. He was a member of the reformed Legislative Council from 1921 to 1923.UP Assembly Archives He was a staunch nationalist throughout his life. and led the Khilafat movement in Gorakhpur in 1920. He retired in 1956 after practicing criminal law for 45 years. He died at the age of 84 on 26 December 1962.

References

{{reflist 1879 births 1962 deaths 19th-century Indian lawyers Uttar Pradesh politicians 19th-century Indian Muslims Aligarh Muslim University alumni People from Lucknow district 20th-century Indian lawyers Lawyers in British India