Chunilal Bhagwandas Madan QC (born Chunilal Bhagwandas Bhusri; 11 November 1912 – 22 September 1989) was a Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Kenya The Supreme Court of Kenya is the Supreme court, highest court in Kenya. It is established under Article 163 of the new constitution of Kenya, Kenyan Constitution 2010 As the highest court in the nation, its decisions are binding and set precede ...

. He served between 1985–1986 and was succeeded by Justice Cecil Henry Ethelwood Miller.

Biography

Madan was born in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

in 1912. He studied at the Government Indian School before moving to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and enrolling at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. He was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in London in 1935 and on his return to Kenya he was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court in 1936. He adopted the surname Madan in lieu of Bhusri in 1937. He was elected to the Nairobi Town Council between 1937 and 1948 and the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

between 1948 and 1961. In 1955, Madan was made Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry for Commerce and Industry and the following year he became Asian Minister without portfolio. He was elected Chair of the

Law Society of Kenya The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) is an organization mandated to advise and assist members of thlegal profession the government and the larger public in all matters relating to the administration of justice in Kenya. It was established by an Act of ...

first in 1957 and again in 1960. In 1957, he was made

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Kenya as a

puisne judge Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...

in 1961, becoming the first permanent Asian judge in Kenya. In 1977, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal, later becoming its Presiding judge. In 1985, he succeeded Alfred Simpson as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya. He remained in the role until 1986 when he retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age.Charles Hornsby, Kenya: A History Since Independence, I.B.Tauris, 30 Apr 2013, p.407 He died in Nairobi in 1989.

References

1912 births 1989 deaths Kenyan Hindus 20th-century Kenyan judges Kenyan people of Indian descent Chief justices of Kenya Members of the Legislative Council of Kenya 20th-century King's Counsel Alumni of Jamhuri High School People from Nairobi Kenyan expatriates in the United Kingdom {{law-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References