The Hindu Group’s Frontline magazine has launched The Noorani Records, a collection of essays by the late lawyer and constitutional expert A.G. Noorani (1930–2024). The book was released at The Hindu’s head office in Chennai on November 11. N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group, presented the first copies to retired Madras High Court judges Justice K. Chandru and Justice Prabha Sridevan.
Justice Chandru praised Noorani’s ability to explain complex legal and political ideas in simple language that appealed to both experts and lay readers. Citing Noorani’s writings on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Mahatma Gandhi, he urged that such essays be introduced to students to counter historical distortion and promote constitutional awareness. He also recalled Noorani’s detailed account of the trial of the Ali brothers during the Khilafat Movement, which reflected Hindu–Muslim unity.
Justice Sridevan remarked that Noorani’s work could inspire reflection and change among readers. She said his clarity of thought and disciplined writing offered valuable lessons for young lawyers.
N. Ram described Noorani as a passionate journalist and an uncompromising voice in legal and political commentary. He recalled that Noorani preferred handwriting his articles, ensuring precision and punctuality in his contributions to Frontline. Editor Vaishna Roy called him an erudite jurist whose essays combined intellectual depth with accessibility.
pix: thehindu.com
The book, released on the first anniversary of Noorani’s passing, compiles some of his finest columns for Frontline. It is available for purchase through The Hindu’s online bookstore.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / November 13th, 2025
A remarkable woman from North Kashmir is breaking stereotypes and inspiring change in Kashmir. Advocate Tabassum who prefers to be known as Advocate Sibgat, a lawyer-cum-wrestler, is not just fighting legal battles in the courtroom but also empowering women by educating them about their rights and guiding them toward a brighter future.
Sibgat’s journey has been anything but conventional. She hails from the village Tujar Sharif, close to the apple town of Sopore which was once the hub of terrorism.
Losing her mother at a young age in 2012, she stepped into a leadership role within her family. Despite societal norms that often frown upon step-relations, she urged her father to remarry.
Defying expectations, she and her sibling embraced their stepmother wholeheartedly. “Our society doesn’t easily accept the concept of step-relations. But I insisted and got my father married again. We accepted our stepmother as our own; she did the same for us. I made sure the revolution began at home,” she recalled.
This belief in challenging societal norms shaped her into the woman she is today. Sibgat pursued law to fulfill her late mother’s dream of seeing her in the black coat. Now, as an advocate at the Srinagar High Court, she dedicates her life to making legal awareness accessible to the people, especially women.
“Women in our society have always been kept secondary. They are taught to live under the dominance of their fathers and later their husbands. Why is that so? Women must have control over their own lives and be able to make their own decisions,” says Sibgat. Through her legal practice, she educates and consults women on their rights, encouraging them to stand up for themselves and fight against injustices.
Beyond her legal career, Sibgat is also a national-level arm wrestler, competing in the 75kg and 95kg categories and the winner of several medals in the sports. She was even selected for international competitions but could not participate due to personal and professional commitments. “Paron ko khol zamana udaan dekhta hai, Zameen pe baith ke kya aasmaan dekhta hai?” she says, emphasising the importance of ambition and perseverance.
For a woman from Kashmir, excelling in sports, especially a physically demanding one like arm wrestling, is no small feat. “I was always inclined towards sports, but in my area, it wasn’t easy for women to pursue it. I want to pass on this strength to young girls and encourage them to break barriers,” she stated passionately.
Advocate Tabassum alias Sibgat attending a conference of Women advocates in Delhi
Her commitment to societal well-being extends beyond law and sports. Recognizing the growing influence of digital spaces, Sibgat is spreading cyber awareness.
“Youth is an essential part of our society; they are taking over social media and cyberspace. It is crucial to educate them about cyber laws and digital safety,” she explained.
Advocate Sibgat’s story is one of resilience, determination, and change. Whether in the courtroom, on the wrestling mat, or in society, she continues to fight for justice and empowerment. Her unwavering spirit is a beacon of hope for women in Kashmir and beyond, proving that no societal norm is too rigid to be challenged and no dream too big to be pursued.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Vidushi Gaur, New Delhi / March 24th, 2025
Mahelaka Abrar, a second year, BA LLB student won the essay writing competition on ‘New Education Policy: Boon or Bane’ organised by the Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to observe the National Education Day.
She was felicitated by Prof M Shakeel Ahmed Samdani, Dean, Faculty of Law.
source: http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in / India Education Diary / Home> Competition / December 01st, 2020
Jilani died during treatment at Lucknow’s Nishat Hospital in Qaiserbagh and is survived by daughter Maria Rehan, sons Najafzafar Jilani and Anaszafar Jilani, and wife Azra Jilani. The family resides in Qaiserbagh. Jilani was buried at the Qaiserbagh graveyard late Wednesday evening.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) secretary and senior advocate died at a Lucknow hospital on Wednesday after a prolonged illness followed by a fall in May 2021 during which he suffered brain haemorrhage. He was 73.
Jilani, a former Additional Advocate General for Uttar Pradesh, was the convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee and had argued in the Ram Janmabhoomi case in different courts over decades.
Jilani died during treatment at Lucknow’s Nishat Hospital in Qaiserbagh and is survived by daughter Maria Rehan, sons Najafzafar Jilani and Anaszafar Jilani, and wife Azra Jilani. The family resides in Qaiserbagh. Jilani was buried at the Qaiserbagh graveyard late Wednesday evening.
“He had multiple health issues for which he was being treated. He had a urinary tract infection which had spread to his lungs. His kidney and brain were also affected. All these issues started after he fell in May 2021 and suffered brain haemorrhage,” said a family member.
Jilani, a native of Malihabad town, was among the decorated alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University, from where he got his law degree.
He will be remembered for his soft-spoken nature and his in-depth knowledge of law, said his colleagues and peers.
Senior advocate SFA Naqvi said, “He was among the most soft-spoken and kind-hearted people I knew. There was a grace about him which is hard to put in words. But his arguments were never soft in court, and he had the law on his fingertips. We have lost a pioneer in law, and he will be missed.”
“During his time as the Additional Advocate General, even when I was arguing against him, he forgot all about it once we were outside the court. Then, we would go back to being friends. He always kept what happened in court to the courtroom only,” added Naqvi.
After the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case in November 2019, Jilani had remarked, “The judgement has just been pronounced, it says a lot of things about the Constitution and about secularism. We are very dissatisfied with this judgement. Article 142 does not let you do this.”
After a special CBI court on September 30, 2020 acquitted all 32 surviving accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, citing lack of evidence, Jilani had told The Indian Express , “The verdict is wrong. It is against the law and evidence (in the case). It is an erroneous judgement. However, a judgement is a judgement. We will avail the remedy available. The remedy is with the High Court. It has the power to reverse the judgement and we will go to the High Court.”
Advocate Rakesh Chaudhary, former president of the Oudh Bar Association, Allahabad High Court, said that Jilani had a great equation with everyone in the court. “He was a very helpful person, who never took anything personally. He had great sportsmanlike spirit,” said the lawyer.
Sarah Haque, a Delhi-based lawyer who worked alongside Jilani on the Babri Masjid case before the Supreme Court, said he was one of the kindest and most respected members of the Bar. “His demise is a huge loss to the legal fraternity. He was extremely passionate in his craft and made commendable efforts towards the pursuit of justice,” she said. “His attention and commitment to the Babri matter was laudable and he will be remembered forever.”
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News> India / by Asad Rehman, Lucknow / May 18th, 2023
Photo of Shamnad receiving the Infosys Prize (Humanities) in 2014 from Mr. Amartya Sen / pix: shamnad.com
Bengaluru :
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) professor Jayant Haritsa and Intellectual Property (IP) academic and consultant professor Shamnad Basheer, both from Bengaluru, are among six winners of the Infosys Prize for this year.
Each prize, comprising a purse of Rs.55 lakh, a 22-carat gold medallion and a citation, is awarded by Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust, set up by the global software major and funded by a corpus of Rs.100 crore ($16 million), contributed by the IT firm, its trustees and co-founders in 2009.
“Haritsa, computer science and automation department professor at IISc, has been awarded the prize under the Engineering and Computer Science category for his contribution to the design and optimisation of database engines,” the Foundation said in a statement here Thursday.
Haritsa also heads the supercomputer education and research centre at the institute.
Basheer, founder of SpicyIP, India, bagged the prize for his contribution to the analysis of a range of legal issues, including pharmaceutical patent injunctions and enforcement in the Humanities category.
As India’s premier blog on IP and innovation law and policy, SpicyIP does accurate reporting of IP developments across the country.
Basheer is also founder and managing trustee of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) in Bengaluru.
Shubha Tole, associate professor at Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), got the prize under the Life Sciences category for her contribution to studying the hippocampus and amygdale centres of learning and memory in the brain.
“Tole’s work can lead to a better understanding of human behaviour, cognition and emotions,” the statement noted.
Tole is also a principal investigator at the TIFR’s biological sciences department.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) adjunct professor Madhu Sudhan has been awarded the prize under the Mathematical Sciences category for his seminal contribution to probabilistically checkable proofs and error-correcting codes.
As a principal researcher at Microsoft Research in New England in the US, Sudan also heads the electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS) department and computer science and artificial intelligence laboratory (CSASIL) at MIT in Boston.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) senior scientist Srivari Chandrasekhar at the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has bagged the prize under the Physical Sciences category for his contribution to the synthetic organic chemistry with special focus on the synthesis of complex molecules from natural sources.
Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT, Esther Duflo, got the prize under the Social Sciences category for her pioneering contribution to development economics, including the work related to India and Africa.
Duflo is also founder-director of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab in the US.
“The Foundation has been able to recognise some of the best researchers of our time through the prize. Their contributions are an inspiration to students and professionals and have the potential for real-time impact on individuals and society,” Infosys co-founder and Foundation president N.R. Narayana Murthy said on the occasion.
A panel of jurors, comprising renowned scientists and professors from the world over, evaluated the noted winners.
The Infosys Prize jury chairs are Pradeep Khosla, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Inder Verma, Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan, Shrinivas Kulkarni and Kaushik Basu.
President Pranab Mukherjee will award the winners and felicitate them Jan 5 in Kolkata.–-IANS
www.shamnad.com
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Exclusive Reports> Indian Muslims> Youth / November 15th, 2014
Award named after N.R. Madhava Menon, father of modern legal studies in India
C.K. Sahala Farsana, student of the Nehru Academy of Law, Lakkidi, and first-rank winner of Calicut University in five-year LLB examination, has won this year’s N.R. Madhava Menon Memorial Award for the best law student.
The award has been given by the Victims Information, Sensitisation, Welfare and Assistance Society (VISWAS), an organisation providing succour for the victims of excesses and crimes.
Ms. Farsana was adjudged the best student considering her academic and non-academic performance, especially her leadership in social work. She had won prizes in quiz, debate, and essay competitions held in several parts of the country.
Kalyani Balachandran from Al Ameen Law College, Kulappully, was adjudged the runner-up. M. Shabas from V.R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan Law College, Elavenchery, and Amrit M. Nair from Al Ameen Law College, Kulappully, won consolation prizes.
Former district judge M.R. Balachandran Nair, former diplomat Sreekumar Menon, and Deputy Director of Prosecution K. Sheeba constituted the judging committee.
Principal district judge B. Kalam Pasha gave away the awards instituted in the memory of N.R. Madhava Menon, who was widely considered the father of modern legal studies in India. Menon was a former Vice Chancellor of the National Law Universities and former director of the National Judicial Academy.
VISWAS secretary P. Premnath, vice presidents B. Jayarajan and R. Devikripa, joint secretaries Deepa Jayaprakash and N. Rakhi spoke.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Palakkad – January 10th, 2022
Suhana Safar, a fifth-year student of BA LLB integrated course at SDM Law College Mangaluru, has secured second rank at the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) examination.
Suhana is a resident of Ullal Kodi and daughter of Haneef and Ruqiya.
She had appeared for the KSLU final year exams 2021 in Kannada medium and has secured second university rank.
Zakariya Senior advocate P M Zakariya passed away on Monday. A condolence meeting was held at the district court in Madikeri.
Bar Association president K D Dayananda said that advocate Zakariya was friendly and used to interact with all advocates. He had vast knowledge.
District Principal and Sessions Judge Jinaralakar Bheemarao Lagamappa, Judges P S Chandrashekar, Subrahmanya, K Roopa, Manu, Smitha, Madikeri Bar Association vice president K S Ratan, secretary M K Arun Kumar and others were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / July 26th, 2021
