Sir Basanta Kumar Mullick (2 August 1868 – 1 October 1931) was an Indian

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. Mullick was born in Calcutta, the son of a successful

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

. He was educated in England, at University College School and King's College, Cambridge, and joined the Indian Civil Service in 1887. In 1890 he was posted to Bengal as an assistant magistrate and collector. In 1898 he returned to Cambridge to complete his degree, which he received the following year. On returning to India he was appointed a District and Sessions Judge and in April 1912 he was appointed Remembrancer for Legal Affairs of the newly created Province of

Bihar and Orissa Bihar and Orissa was a province of British India, which included the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The territories were conquered by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were governed by the then Indian Ci ...

. Soon afterwards he was appointed an Additional Judge of the

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located in B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court buildi ...

and in 1916 became a founding Puisne Judge of the Patna High Court, serving until 1928. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1920 New Year Honours. In April 1928 he became a temporary member of the Executive Council of Bihar and Orissa and in July 1929 he was appointed to the

Council of India The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India. The original Council of India was established by the Charter Act of 1833 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor ...

, the first Indian member of the Indian Civil Service ever to join the Council. He represented India on a number of committees of the League of Nations. Mullick, who had married Kate Annie Carter in 1900, died suddenly at his home in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London, while still in office.

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, '' The Times'', 3 October 1931 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullick, Basanta 1868 births 1931 deaths People from Kolkata People educated at University College School Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Judges of the Calcutta High Court Members of the Council of India Knights Bachelor Indian Knights Bachelor Judges of the Patna High Court 19th-century Indian judges 20th-century Indian judges