People's Democracy

AILU Homage To Comrade Hardev Singh

In a statement issued on September 17, the All India Lawyers Union (AILU) paid its homage to Comrade Hardev Singh, recalling his contribution and saying that �the void created by his untimely death will be hard to fill.� The statement is as follows.

COMRADE Hardev Singh, Bar at Law, senior advocate,  the founder general secretary of the All India Lawyers Union, and editor of lawyers� magazine Popular Jurist died today (September 17), after a brief illness. He was aged 80.

Hardev Singh was born in an illustrious family of lawyers and judges. He, along with many illustrious lawyers and several retired Supreme Court judges, laid the foundation of the All India Lawyers Union in the year 1983 and remained its general secretary till the year 2006 when he relinquished the office due to his illness. Hardev Singh was also elected honorary secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association. His contribution to the progressive lawyers� movement is inimitable.

In his long carrier as a lawyer he worked fearlessly for a clean and honest judiciary. As an active associate of the Committee on Judicial Accountability (COJA), he raised his voice against corruption in judiciary. He was a votary of the establishment of an independent National Judicial Commission and also, in association with his colleagues in COJA, drafted a bill for suitable amendment in the constitution for the formation of a National Judicial Commission. He campaigned for cheap and quick justice and advocated measures to cut down delays. Much of his time at the Bar was spent in fighting cases for the poor and the needy in the Supreme Court and High Courts.

He is survived by his wife Manjeet and two daughters.

PRAKASH KARAT

CONDOLES DEATH

Below we reproduce the condolence message sent by Prakash Karat, CPI(M) general secretary, on the demise of Comrade Hardev Singh.

I AM deeply grieved to hear the news of the passing away of Comrade Hardev Singh. Hardev Singh had a life long association with the Communist Party and the progressive movement both in Britain and in India. As a lawyer, he played a prominent role in the formation of the All India Lawyers Union of which he was the general secretary for a long period of time.

His death is a big loss to the legal fraternity. I convey my heartfelt condolences to his wife and family members.

The All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) also paid homage to Comrade Hardev Singh, recalling among other things his association with the Indian Workers Association in Great Britain and his help to the AIAWU from time to time.