Dorab Framrose Patel was a Pakistani jurist who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1976 to 1981 after earlier serving as chief justice of the Sindh High Court. He was one of three dissenting judges in the four to three Supreme Court decision that upheld the death sentence of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In 1981, rather than take an oath under General Zia ul Haq's Provisional Constitutional Order, an act that would have made him Chief Justice, Patel resigned, and he spent his later life on human rights advocacy, co-founding the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and working with the International Commission of Jurists.
Facts
RoleJurist and lawmaker of Parsi descent 2 Nationality / Jurisdiction Place of Death Classification
Field of Law Role
Role (category) FAQs
Why did Dorab Patel resign from the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1981?
He refused the new oath required under the Provisional Constitutional Order of General Zia ul Haq's martial law and resigned although he was next in line to be Chief Justice.
In 1981, under General Zia ul Haq's martial law, judges of the superior courts were asked to take a new oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order. Dorab Patel refused. He was next in line to become Chief Justice of Pakistan, so declining the oath meant giving up the highest judicial office, and he resigned instead of taking it. Admirers later pointed to this choice as an example of a judge putting principle ahead of position.
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Source Dorab Patel (Wikipedia)tier 2
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1. Dorab Patel (Wikipedia)
IntroductionQuote, Introduction
Dorab Framrose Patel (1924 - 15 March 1997) was a Pakistani jurist and lawmaker of Parsi descent who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and chief justice of the Sindh High Court.
2. Dorab Patel (Wikipedia)
WikipediaFull article, gender
A Parsi by faith, he rose up the ranks of the judiciary to become one of Pakistan's most senior most judges, only to resign on principle after refusing to take an oath of allegiance to Chief Martial Law Administrator and Chief of Army Staff at that time, General Zia-ul-Haq in 1981.
Introduction, nationality
A Parsi by faith, he rose up the ranks of the judiciary to become one of Pakistan's most senior most judges, only to resign on principle after refusing to take an oath of allegiance to Chief Martial Law Administrator and Chief of Army Staff at that time, General Zia-ul-Haq in 1981. Patel was elevated to the Supreme Court on 7 January 1976. On 24 March 1981, General Zia ul Haq issued a Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) and asked the Justices of the High Courts and Supreme Court to take oath on it.
Introduction
Dorab Framrose Patel (1924 - 15 March 1997) was a Pakistani jurist and lawmaker of Parsi descent who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and chief justice of the Sindh High Court.
In Legal System: Law of Pakistan, Wikipedia lead sentence
was a Pakistani jurist and lawmaker of Parsi descent wh
View the Source 3. Wikidata: Dorab Patel
Wikidata Q5297458, P569 date of birth claim (year)
P569 (date of birth): 1924
Wikidata Q5297458, P569 date of birth claim (full date)
P569 (date of birth): 1924-06-17
Wikidata Q5297458, P570 date of death claim (year)
P570 (date of death): 1997
Wikidata Q5297458, P570 date of death claim (full date)
P570 (date of death): 1997-03-15
Wikidata Q5297458, P19 place of birth claim
P19 (place of birth): Mumbai
Wikidata Q5297458, P20 place of death claim
P20 (place of death): Islamabad
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