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