Sir Shadi Lal (14 May 1874 – 27 March 1945) was an Indian jurist. He served as the Chief Justice of

Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is based in Lahore, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over Punjab (Pakistan). The High Court's principal seat is in Lahore, but there are benches in th ...

between 1920 and 1934, the first Indian head of an Indian high court. Born in

Rewari Rewari is a city and a Municipal Council in Rewari district in the Indian state of Haryana. King of Rewari is Rao Onkar Singh.It is located in south-west Haryana around 82 km from Delhi

, Punjab Province, Lal was educated at Punjab University and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

. He was called to the English bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1899. Returning to India, he was called to the Lahore bar, and became Principal of the Law College, Lahore, and Dean of the Law Faculty of Punjab University. He was elected to the Punjab Legislative Council by Punjab University in 1909, and was re-elected in 1912 and 1913. Lal was appointed a Judge of the Lahore High Court in 1919, and promoted Chief Justice in 1920, becoming the first Indian to head an Indian high court. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1921. In 1934 he was appointed to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

and sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

under the provisions of the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1929, in succession to Sir Dinshah Mulla. He resigned in 1938 and returned to India. Legacy Haryana Government has named Civil Hospital of District Rewari after him which was also extended to the Trauma center. He is known for the Legend Bhagat Singh case as well. He was one of the witnesses against Bhagat Singh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lal, Shadi Knights Bachelor 1945 deaths People from Rewari University of the Punjab alumni Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of Gray's Inn Indian Knights Bachelor Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Indian judges 1874 births Chief Justices of the Lahore High Court Punjab University Law College faculty