KARACHI: Former Acting Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Pakistan, Rana Bhagwandas, being treated for a heart ailment at a local hospital, passed away here Monday morning.
The 72-year-old former judge of the country's Supreme Court was highly respected for his professional competency and personal integrity.
Considered an expert at constitutional law, Justice (Retd) Bhagwandas also had a postgraduate degree in Islamic Studies.
He remained the acting CJP during the 2007 judicial crisis in Pakistan and also briefly became the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan when the then Chief Justice went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006.
Rana Bhagwandas served as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) from November 2009 to December 2012 and till his demise remained Member of Selection Board of Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi.
Born in Naseerabad, Larkana District (now Qamber Shahdadkot District) in Sindh in Dec 1942, he joined the bar in 1965 and assumed his responsibility as lower court judge in 1967 later also served as a session judge, and subsequently, a judge of the Sindh High Court in 1994.
The former acting chief justice of the country was a firm believer in the sanctity of the Constitution of Pakistan and its legal system.
He repeatedly established that the law is equal for all religious communities in Pakistan and while staunchly defending Pakistan's society and legal system against charges of bias and suppression of minorities, Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas was also a vocal opponent of the practice of honour killings of women in the provincial rural areas.
Justice Bhagwandas refused to take oath under the PCO which was issued by the then President of Pakistan General (retd) Musharraf and was among the 60 judges sacked on 3 November 2007. He retired in December 2007 and was reinstated in retired status.
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