Justice Syed Mahbub Murshed

I have had the privilege to know several distinguished men in my lifetime. Few men, however, have made such an indelible impression upon me, as had Justice Murshed during our twenty-year acquaintance. I look upon him as one of my most highly revered mentors and as one who will never cease to be a source of inspiration to me -- as a champion of justice, righteousness and all that is dear to me.

Justice Murshed was born during the second decade of the last century and a fair assessment of his merits has to be made in the light of the times he was born in. During that particular era in our history the Muslim community in Bengal lagged behind the Hindu community in various aspects. In particular, the dearth of Muslims established in diverse intellectual fields was acute. Justice Murshed was born at that time into a distinguished Muslim family of Murshidabad on 11 January, 1911. His father late Syed Abdus Salik was a member of the Bengal Civil Service and his mother late Afzalunnesa Khatun was a sister of Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Huq.

In the academic field, he won his first accolade in 1926 when he matriculated first among all candidates in the Rajshahi division under the Calcutta University. He graduated with honours in Economics in 1930 from the Calcutta University. Subsequently, he obtained two MA's -- in Economics and in Persian. While reading for the bar in England during the 1930's, he obtained the first position in the Part I examination. He was and still is among the very few subcontinental Muslims who passed the bar final examinations with honours.

In the legal field, he was outstanding both as a barrister and later as a judge. He was never constrained by the letter of the law. His interpretation of the law was always for the greater good of society at large. He felt that the law was created to serve man and not conversely. In other words the purpose of law, to him, was to ensure a just society and secure the rights of man. In that respect, he displayed the classical influence of Plato. On the bench, his pronouncements evinced in very great measure the most desirable traits in a judge-- courage, integrity and a fierce independence. His farm belief in the primacy of liberty and democratic values, more so than most men led to peerless judgements which rank as his highest achievements. For those of us who remember and are imbued with a sense of history, his fearless espousal of the rights of the people of Bangladesh -- especially during the Ayub regime-- will forever be deeply embedded in our minds.

He was never the quintessential politician although he was associated with every major political movement in his time. Among these were the language movement of 1952 and the 21-point programme of 1954 associated with the United Front. His speeches during the round table conference convened by Ayub Khan in 1969 stirred the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan. His contributions towards the 11-point programme of that year was considerable. During the 1971 liberation war his outright refusal to speak out in favour of the Pakistanis was an act of tremendous courage. Above all, he was always relentless in resisting evil, resisting the temptations of office with great fortitude and never allowing himself to be swayed by pressure.

Even in the midst of an active life he always found time to support worthy social causes. His intimate association with the Anjuman-e-Mufidul Islam during the great Bengal famine of 1943 is one such example. A deeply religious man, who had helped to establish and later inaugurated the Alia Madrasah in Dhaka, he was at the same time above all communal prejudice. In that respect his efforts to promote communal harmony especially during riots leading to the famous Liaquat-Nehru Pact of 1950 were extremely important. Apart from being a very cultured man, his activities as a patron of the arts was considerable.

In short, he was a man of parts. Any attempt to enumerate his accomplishments will fall short of doing justice to him. Such an undertaking would indeed be a Herculean task. He can be best described as: "Justice Murshed is the autobiography of his own age." As such, he has transcended his own times and his memory continues to be the object of our deepest respect. It is our earnest wish that his achievements find a permanent place not only in the intellectual and legal institutions of our country but in the entire nation. That will serve as a source of inspiration and unity to us all and lend a sense of direction to our society.