Sunday, 08.10.2008, 10:04pm (GMT-7)
NEW YORK: Justice Anup Singh
Choudry was sworn in as the first Sikh High Court
Judge in Uganda on May 2. At the swearing in
ceremony that took place at the State House Entebbe
before the President of Uganda, His Excellency
Yoweri Museweni and before the Chief Justice of
Uganda Bejamin Odoki.Justice Choudry 58, is a Uganda
born Asian who was a resident of United Kingdom and
is believed to be the first non African in the
Ugandan judiciary and the only turbaned Sikh judge
in East Africa.
Justice Choudry went to schools in Uganda and then
went to England for higher education. He studied at
the University of London and the University of
Cambridge. After qualifying as an English lawyer he
practiced law in England for 20 years until 2000 and
then practiced as an auditor in quality control. In
2004 he was nominated for appointment as a Judge of
the Uganda High Court by thy Uganda's Judicial
Service Commission and approved by the parliament
last month. His grandfather came to Uganda in the
early 1900's and served in the civil service.
His late father also worked in the civil service in
Uganda until his retirement shortly before 1972 when
Idi Amin, the then president removed all the Asians
from the country. Justice Choudry is married with 3
children who were all born in England. Justice
Choudry's mother, Narinder Kaur was also born in
Uganda and his grandparents migrated to Uganda from
Rawalpindi in the early nineteenth century.
Justice Choudry said he was delighted to be
appointed to the bench and added that he would serve
Uganda with the same vigor, diligence and dedication
as his late father Tarlok Singh and late grandfather
Hari Singh who also served this country. Justice
Choudry was one of the delegates at the meeting in
Lahore last year in connection with the setting up
of Baba Nanak University at Nanakana Sahib in
Pakistan.
He eloquently put forward his case for allocation of
2500 acres of land for the University campus and the
proposal was successfully approved by the Pakistani
authorities.
India Post News Service
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