Snehal Upadhyay-
Today, on the occasion of the birth centenary of late pre-partitioned jurist Nirmal Hardasmal Hingorani, a piece of writing which talks about his life achievements is shared by an Advocate of the Supreme Court.
Nirmal Hingorani was born on 1 July 1921 in Larkana, Sind in undivided India, now Pakistan. He belonged to a family which already had a prominent law background. His parental grandfather Diwan Banasing, was a judge in Tharoo Shah, Sind, whereas his maternal grandfather was Diwan Man Singh of the then princely State of Khairpur (Khayrpur). His father, Hardasmal Banasing Hingorani, was also a judge in Karachi.
With such a strong legal background he had already decided to opt for law as his career. He completed his Bachelor of Law degree in 1944 from the prestigious S.C Shahani Law College which was affiliated with the University of Bombay and was admitted as an Advocate of the Chief Court of Sind under the Indian Bar Councils Act of 1926 in the year 1946.
Nirmal Hingorani came to India in 1952 and got himself enrolled in the newly formed Supreme Court of India and started practising law. He worked on many cases which led to changing the law. He worked with the then Attorney General of India Niren De, in the cases such as the Bank Nationalization Case and the Privy Purse Case. He was a very great reader, writer and thinker.
Nirmal Hingorani got married to Pushpa Kapila. They both had a common interest in the law and justice system of the Country. This interest led to the introduction of remedial jurisprudence of Public Interest Litigation in India in 1979. The first PIL was filed in the case of Hussainara Khatoon v. the State of Bihar. This case was about the inhuman conditions of prison and under trial prisoners.
With introducing PIL, the judicial system saw that PIL doesn’t benefit the individual, but it benefit the public at large, and from here, an era of PIL actions pro bona in the Courtrooms started.
Nirmal Hingorani and Pushpa Hingorani both had a keen interest in social work which led them in establishing ‘The Kapila & Nirmal Hingorani Foundation’ which worked with the interest of empowering women, protecting children from sexual abuse, bonded labour and many other social-legal issues.
Nirmal Hingorani didn’t have any other area of interest other than his work and family. He has been very loyal and has respected his work. He died on 21 July 2015 as a senior most lawyer of the Supreme Court.
In the words of the then Chief Justice of India at the Full Court Reference, “Shri N.H. Hingorani has left behind him a legacy that can never really go away, for he will live on in the hearts and minds of us all.”
