Former Supreme Court lawyer and political expert Abdul Ghafoor Noorani passed away on Thursday at the age of 93. News of his passing prompted an outpouring of condolence messages on social media, with the loss felt especially keenly in Kashmir.
“Sorry to hear about the demise of A G Noorani Sb earlier today. Noorani Sb was a man of letters, an accomplished lawyer, a scholar & a political commentator. He wrote extensively on matters of law and on subjects like Kashmir, RSS and the constitution. May Allah grant him highest place in Jannat,” former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on X.
“AG Noorani, a giant among scholars has passed away. I learnt a great deal from him, from the constitution, to Kashmir, to China & even the art of appreciating good food. May Allah grant him maghfirah,” added Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
The scholar and political commentator had made significant contributions to numerous fields – including law, history and political science — during his multi-decade long career. He was also the author of more than a dozen books including The Kashmir Question.
Abdul Ghafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani was born in Mumbai (then Bombay) and began his career as a High Court judge in 1953. He was deeply knowledgeable about constitutional matters and spent a significant amount of time writing about legal, political, and historical issues. He penned several books centred around these topics — including The Kashmir Question, Ministers’ Misconduct and Constitutional Questions and Citizens’ Rights. His most recent work was The RSS: A Menace to India published in 2019.
The senior lawyer was part of several key cases and defended Sheikh Abdullah of Kashmir during his long period of detention. He also represented former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi before the Bombay High Court in a case against political rival J Jayalalitha.