Mirza Hameedullah Beg: Former Chief Justice of India

Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg was born on 22nd February, 1913 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He mostly handled situations involving criminal and constitutional law. His writings on property law and service law decisions are also included. He was preceded by Justice A.N Ray and succeeded by Justice Y. V. Chandrachud. He died in New Delhi on 19 November 1988 (aged 75).

Early Life and Education

His father, Mirza Samiullah Beg, was the Chief Justice of Hyderabad State and played an influential role in Hyderabad State affairs. His uncle, Shahnaz Hussain, is a well-known cosmetic surgeon worldwide. M.H. Beg, like many other Hyderabadi nobility kids of that time, went to St. George's Grammar School, where he won a gold medal for taking first place in the Senior Cambridge H.S.L.C. Exam. M.H. Beg enrolled in Cambridge University's prestigious Trinity College in 1931 and graduated with honors in tripsoses in archaeology, anthropology, and history. At the London School of Economics, he pursued studies in politics, economics, and law. He became a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. In 1941, he received a bar call in England.

Career

Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg began his legal career during the following time period:

• After receiving his degree, M.H. Beg went back to India and started working as an advocate for the Allahabad High Court in the cities of Allahabad and Meerut.

• M.H. Beg started gaining experience in the legal field. He registered as an advocate with the Federal Court of India in 1949, and through time, he advanced to the position of advocate with the Supreme Court.

• He became Standing Counsel to the U.P. Sunni Central Wakf Board after developing a sizable practice on all sides and regularly appeared before Municipal organizations.

• Beg gained experience as a lawyer before being promoted to the Allahabad High Court bench on June 11, 1963. He presided as a judge over cases in the criminal, civil, and tax courts.

• After being promoted, he was given the title of Company Judge, and from the middle of 1967 until 1970, he oversaw the High Court's marital and testamentary jurisdiction.

• In January 1971, M.H. Beg was named Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

• On December 12, 1971, Beg was promoted to Judge of the Supreme Court of India after serving for a brief time as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

Fact	Detail
Name	Mirza Hameedullah Beg
Date of Birth	22nd February 1913
Alma Mater	St. George's Grammar School
Official Tenure	29th January 1977 – 21st February 1978
President	Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Preceded by	A. N. Ray
Succeeded by	Y. V. Chandrachud
As Judge	Judge of the Allahabad High Court Company Judge Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court Judge of the Supreme Court of India Chief Justice of India

Notable Judgments

The notable judgments are:

Bennett Coleman vs. Union of India (1973 AIR 106, 1973 SCR (2) 757)

In the instance case, a few media corporations contested the 1955 Import Control Order's restrictions on the import of newsprint. Beg J stressed the value of press freedom and ruled that any limitations on basic rights must pass the "reasonableness" standard.

Kesavananda Bharati vs. State Of Kerala and Anr ((1973) 4 SCC 225; AIR 1973 SC 1461)

He has served as a judge in a number of other significant constitutional cases where the Court determined that Parliament lacks the authority to change the fundamental framework of the Constitution. In Kesavananda Bharati, Beg J provided a minority opinion and upheld the validity of the 24th, 25th, and 29th amendments by citing the expansive authority afforded to the legislature by Article 368 as well as the "test of consequences."

ADM Jabalpur vs. Shivkant Shukla (1976 AIR 1207, 1976 SCR 172)

This case is popularly known as the "habeas corpus case," and the majority decision of A.N. Ray, M.H. Beg, Y.V. Chandrachud, and P.N. Bhagwati J. held that a High Court could not execute a writ of habeas corpus under a state of emergency. Beg J ruled that during an emergency, a person's right to assert their personal freedoms would be suspended. A few months following the judgment, Beg J succeeded H.R. Khanna J. as Chief Justice.

Maneka Gandhi vs. Union of India (AIR 1978 SC 597; (1978) 1 SCC 248)

In the instance case, a nine-judge bench headed by Beg J presided over the discussion of the application of Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The verdict was written by him, and it was decided that it was against Article 21 to seize a passport without following the legal process. Additionally, he claimed that it was obvious that Article 21 served as a safeguard against presidential overreach.

Likewise, in 1988, Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg received India's second-highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan, for his contributions to law and public affairs. He was a member of the International Law Association and of the World Association of Judges. Beg has published two books about Indian Muslim politics: Impact of Secularism on Life and Law and Human Rights in Asia. He wrote 194 decisions during his seven-year tenure on the Supreme Court and participated in 562 benches.

FAQs

Q1. Who had appointed Mirza Hameedullah Beg as the chief justice of India?

Ans. President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had appointed Mirza Hameedullah Beg as the chief justice of India on 29 January 1977.

Q2. What was the major achievement of justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg?

Ans. In 1988, Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg had been received Padma Vibhushan award: India's second highest civilian award for his contribution towards Law and Public Affairs.