Mohammad Hidayatullah: Former Chief Justice of India

On July 20, 1969, Justice Hidayatullah took the oath of office as India's acting president. He held the position until the late V.V. Giri took the oath of office as the republic's legitimately elected president. He was unanimously chosen to serve as India's Vice President following his retirement as the country's Chief Justice by all political parties, and he held that important position honorably from 1979 to 1984. He presided over the Rajya Sabha as Vice President and skillfully and wisely presided over its proceedings. In 1982, while serving as vice president, he once again took over the role of president.

Who is Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah?

Mohammad Hidayatullah OBE (17 December 1905–18 September 1992) served as India's sixth vice president from 31 August 1979 to 30 August 1984 and the country's 11th Chief Justice from 25 February 1968 to 16 December 1970. From 20 July 1969 to 24 August 1969, from 6 October 1982 to 31 October 1982, from 25 July 1983 to 25 July 1983, and from 25 July 1984 to 25 July 1984, he also served as India's interim president.

He is acknowledged as a distinguished lawyer, scholar, educator, writer, and linguist.

Biography of Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah

Name	Mohammad Hidayatullah
Date of Birth	December 17,1905
Place of Birth	Lucknow, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (now Uttar Pradesh)
Father’s name	Khan Bahadur Hafiz Mohammad Wilayatullah
Mother’s name	Mohammadi Begum
Education	Government High School, Raipur Morris College, Nagpur Trinity College, University of Cambridge
Awards	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), 1946 Night of Mark Twin, 1971 Proud Past Alumni Award from Allahabad University Shiromani Award, 1986 Architecture of India Award, 1987
Death	September 18, 1992

Hidayatullah, a pioneer in Indian legal history, holds the singular distinction of being the only Indian person to have served as acting president, vice president, and chief justice of India during independent India.

Important incidents of his Life

• Mohammad Hidayatullah participated in a number of important rulings during the course of his lengthy career on the Supreme Court.

• He once served on the British Institute of International and Comparative Law's Managing Committee as well as the Executive Council of the World Assembly of Judges.

• From 1968 to 1970, Hidayatullah served as the president of the Indian Society of International Law, International Law Association (Indian Branch), and Indian Law Institute.

Early Life

The 11^th Chief Justice of India, Mohammad Hidayatullah, was born on December 17, 1905, in Lucknow, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (now Uttar Pradesh). His family was well known. Born into a well-educated family, Mohammad Hidayatullah's parents are Mohammadi Begum and Khan Bahadur Hafiz Mohammad Wilayatullah.

Khan Bahadur Hafiz Mohammad Wilayatullah, Mohammad Hidayatullah's father, was a well-known Urdu poet. For this, Mohammad Hidayatullah received a literary discussion atmosphere at home. You may remember that in 1897, Aligarh University awarded Mohammad Hidayatullah's father a gold medal for his work in mathematics.

• The father of Mohammad Hidayatullah worked as an ICS in 1928.

Between 1929 and 1933, his father also served as a representative in the Central Legislative Assembly. Mohammad Hidayatullah was a naturally gifted student who grew up in a socio-political, educational, and literary-cultural atmosphere.

After completing his primary schooling at the Government High School in Raipur in 1922, he was accepted into Nagpur's Morris College. Mohammad Hidayatullah received the Phillips Scholarship in 1926 from this college. He received the Malak Gold Medal following his graduation in 1926. Many Indians traveled abroad to study law during this time, as you may remember. There was no exemption for Mohammed Hidayatullah. In 1927, he entered Trinity College at the University of Cambridge to pursue a legal education. From there, he earned both a B.A. and an M.A. In 1930, Mohammad Hidayatullah won the gold medal from Trinity College, part of the University of Cambridge, by taking second place.

Political Timeline

1979-1984	He became the sixth vice president of India.
1969	He served as acting president of India.
1968-1970	He was the 11th CJI.

Journey in the Judiciary

Additionally, he traveled to the UK to pursue a legal education. In 1927, he entered at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, where he later earned both a B.A. and an M.A. Mohammad Hidayatullah got the gold medal from Trinity College, part of the University of Cambridge, in 1930 by earning the second place in the first class in law studies, as you may remember. Mohammad Hidayatullah was later asked to appear in the renowned Lincoln's Inn at the age of 25.

• It's significant to note that Mohammad Hidayatullah was chosen and presided over the Indian Majlis at Cambridge in 1929. He also sought the prestigious Lincoln's Inn's English and Law Tripos. Noteworthy is the fact that he was appointed a Barrister-at-Law in 1930.

Hidayatullah became the Nagpur High Court's Chief Justice on December 3, 1954, becoming the court's youngest Chief Justice at the time. He served as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court from November 1, 1956, to November 29, 1958. He was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court on December 1, 1958, at the age of 52, becoming the Court's youngest ever Justice.

• He became the country's first Muslim Chief Justice on February 25, 1968, the same day he was named the 11th Chief Justice of India.

• Following the historic majority ruling in Madhav Rao Scindia v. Union of India, he left his position as Chief Justice of India on December 16, 1970.

Tenure as Vice President and acting as President of India

Between July 20 to August 24, 1969, Hidayatullah held the position of Chief Justice of India. He also briefly served as President of India. When Zakir Husain, India's president at the time, passed away on May 3, 1969, Vice President VV Giri took over as acting president. Giri left both offices in order to run for president in the 1969 elections. Hidayatullah was promoted as acting President of India because both positions were vacant.

After the former Janata administration was overthrown, nearly ten years after Hidayatullah retired from the CJI post in 1970, he was chosen to serve as India's sixth vice president on August 31, 1979. He was unanimously chosen and completed the entire term before resigning on August 30, 1984. It is believed that he was not officially moved to the position of President of India, as is sometimes the case for Vice Presidents, since he was seen as a critic of the administration of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

When President Zail Singh went to the United States for heart surgery in 1982, Hidayatullah J took over as acting president from October 6, 1982 to October 31, 1982.

Likewise, on September 18, 1992, at the age of 86, Mohammad Hidayatullah passed away. He had the honor of serving in numerous important positions within the Indian Constitution. The fact that Hidayatullah held these three posts sets him apart from other figures in Indian history. Hidayatullah made history by becoming the first individual to hold the positions of Vice President, President, and Chief Justice of India. Because of his abilities, character, eloquence, uniqueness, and talent, Mohammed Hidayatullah will always be remembered among the younger generation.

FAQs

Q1. When and where was Mohammad Hidayatullah born?

Ans. On December 17, 1905, Hidayatullah was born in Lucknow, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (now Uttar Pradesh).

Q2. Who is the Youngest Chief Justice (of High Court) of India?

Ans. Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah, when he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Nagpur Bench High Court on 3 December 1954, he became the youngest chief justice of high court of India.

Q3. Was Hidayatullah president of india?

Ans. Justice Hidayatullah was sworn in as the Acting President of India on 20th July 1969 and served in that capacity till late V.V. Giri was sworn in as the duly elected President of the Republic. Justice, Hidayatullah was the one who served as the acting President of India twice. Second time, when he was vice-president of India, he again served as an acting President in 1982.