Rana Bhagwandas: short biography of a great Justice

Wikipedia says,
Rana Bhagwandas (20 December 1942 – 23 February 2015), was a senior judge and former acting chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP). He has enjoyed extremely high reputation as a judge. He remained the acting CJP during the 2007 judicial crisis in Pakistan and also briefly became the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan when the incumbent Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006, and thus became the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim to serve as chief of the highest court in Pakistan. Rana Bhagwandas also worked as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan. He headed the interview panel for the selection of the Federal Civil Servants 2009.

For the 2006–2007 judicial year, Justice Bhagwandas was a member of the second bench of justices which was also home to Justice Nasir ul-Mulk and Justice Syed Jamshed Ali.

On 28 September 2007, in a 6–3 vote the court, Judge Rana Bhagwandas presiding, ruled: "These petitions are held to be non-maintainable but he was among the three dissenting judges who thought that Gen. Musharraf should relinquish army chief's post." The judgment removed obstacles to Pervez Musharraf's election bid but gave Bhagwandas more honour and respect in the country.

Justice Bhagwandas refused to take oath under the PCO which was issued by then President of Pakistan General Musharraf and was among the 60 judges sacked on 3 November 2007. He retired in December 2007 and was reinstated in retired status.

He died on 23 February 2015 at Karachi. The 72-year-old former judge was under treatment for a heart ailment at a private hospital at the time of his death.

DAWN article states,

KARACHI: Former acting chief justice Rana Bhagwandas passed away in Karachi on Monday, DawnNews reported.

The 73-year-old former judge was under treatment for a heart ailment at a private hospital at the time of his passing.

He was the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim head of Pakistan’s judiciary and had been a Supreme Court judge since Feb 2000.

Born in Naseerabad, Larkana District (now Qamber Shahdadkot District) in Sindh in Dec 1942, Justice (retd) Bhagwandas had a postgraduate degree in Islamic Studies and was considered an expert on constitutional law.

He was a practising advocate for about two years before being appointed as a judge in July 1967. He was made a judge of the Sindh High Court in June 1994.

Read| Non-Muslims not barred from becoming judges: SHC

In 2002, the Sindh High Court had dismissed a challenge to his appointment to the higher judiciary on the grounds that he was a non-Muslim.

He was appointed acting Chief Justice for a few days in 2005 and 2006, during the absence of then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry from the country.

Also read: Bhagwandas backs lawyers’ struggle

He was again appointed as acting chief justice of Pakistan during the judicial crisis in 2007.

Also read: Bhagwandas appointed FPSC chief

Justice (retd) Bhagwandas was appointed as the Federal Public Service Commission.(FPSC) chairman in November 2009 after his retirement from the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan issued condolence messages expressing grief and sorrow over the demise of Rana Bhagwandas.

SLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday paid homage to former supreme court judge, late Justice Rana Bhagwandas for his services to the country.

Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari eulogised the late justice, recalling his integrity and commitment to justice, adding that his absence will be sorely missed by the judiciary.