Sir Fazal Ibrahim Rahimtoola (1895–1977) was an Indian politician. He served as

Sheriff of Bombay The Sheriff of Bombay is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Bombay. The sheriff is an officer of the High Court and the nominal Head of the High Court Department which carries out the or ...

and was a member of

Bombay Legislative Council Bombay Legislative Council was the legislature of the Bombay Province and later the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Bombay Province in British India and the Indian state of Bombay. History The Indian Councils Act 1861 set up the B ...

and

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Indian Legislature, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometimes calle ...

during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

Background and early life

Rahimtoola was born in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, the son of

Ibrahim Rahimtoola Sir Ibrahim Rahimtoola (May 1862 – June 1942) was a politician and legislator in British India. He served as Mayor of Bombay, Chairman of the Fiscal Commission and later as President of the Central Legislative Assembly. Early life and early c ...

, a prominent local politician. He was educated first at St. Xavier's School, and later gained his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

. After this he proceeded to Poona Law College for his

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

Career

After graduating he initially joined the family business but later started taking part in local politics. Rahimtoola became member of the

by the 1920s followed by the

Bombay Legislative Assembly Bombay Legislative Assembly came into existence in 1937, as the legislature of Bombay Presidency, a Provinces of India, province of India. It functioned until 1960, when separate states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed. History The first se ...

with which he was closely attached till after independence. He was also member of the

from 1925 till the early 1930s. In December 1928, Rahimtoola became Secretary of the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslims, Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim L ...

Conference held in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

under the Presidentship of Sir Aga Khan III. Fazal Rahimtoola remained

during the same period. He remained President of the Indian tariff Board in 1935. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Rahimtoola served as Director of the National War Front and National Food Council. In the 1960s, he served as president of the, St. Xavier's College Association, in Bombay. He died in Bombay in 1977.

Business affairs

On the business front Sir Fazal served as director on companies including the auto sector,

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

, shipping among others. He was a permanent Director of Tata Iron and Steel and

Tata power Tata Power Company Limited is an Indian electric utility and electricity generation company based in Mumbai, India and is part of the Tata Group. With an installed electricity generation capacity of 14,707 MW out of which 5847 MW is from Non-C ...

Personal life

He was married to Zainab Fazalbhoy and had three sons and five daughters from marriage. His younger brother

Habib Rahimtoola Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola (12 March 1912 – 2 January 1991) was a Pakistani politician, diplomat primarily based out of Karachi. He served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between (1947–52). Rahimtoola also served as Governor of Sind ...

was active in the

Pakistan movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

and is regarded as one of the founders of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. His uncle Jafar Rahimtoola and a cousin

Hoosenaly Rahimtoola Hoosenally Rahimtoola was a Legislator of the Bombay Presidency. He remained Mayor of Bombay from 1934 to 1935 and was Minister in the Provincial Government briefly in 1937. Rahimtoola was also President of the Bombay Legislative Council during ...

both served as Mayor of Bombay.

Honours

He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

(CIE) in the

1939 New Year Honours The 1939 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were a ...

list, and was knighted in the

1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new ...

, thus becoming ''Sir'' Fazal Ibrahim Rahimtoola. On 20 July 1946, he was invested with his knighthood at the Viceroy's House (now

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, ISO: ''Rāṣṭrapati Bhavana''; ; formerly Viceroy's House (1931–1947) and Government House (1947–1950)) is the official residence of the President of the Republic of India at the western end of Rajpath, Rai ...

) in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, by the Viceroy,

Lord Wavell Field Marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World Wa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahimtoola, Fazal I 1895 births 1977 deaths Sheriffs of Mumbai 20th-century Indian politicians 20th-century Indian businesspeople Tata Group people Indian Ismailis Gujarati people Businesspeople from Mumbai St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Indian Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Khoja Ismailis Members of the Bombay State Legislative Assembly