Kashmir held special place in scholar AG Noorani’s heart

AG Noorani, a scholar, lawyer and a political commentator, passed away in Mumbai on Thursday. He was 94. Noorani authored a number of books, including “The Trial of Bhagat Singh”. According to journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, Noorani, though he was ailing, was working on a book, he had hoped to complete, on the Supreme Court’s Babri Masjid judgment. Known as Ghafoor among his friends, AG Noorani’s full name was Abdul Ghafoor Noorani. He was born in Mumbai (then Bombay) on September 16, 1930. He was educated at St Mary’s and obtained his law degree from Government Law College, Mumbai. He practised both Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court and was known for his legal acumen and commitment to the justice system. Kashmir held a special place in Noorani’s heart. As a lawyer, he defended Sheikh Abdullah during his long period of detention. As a writer, Noorani tried to explore ways for an amicable settlement of the Kashmir problem. Books published by him on Kashmir included “The Kashmir Dispute 1947-2012” and “Article 370: A Constitutional History of Jammu and Kashmir”. Writing on X, National Conference leader and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: “Sorry to hear about the demise of AG Noorani Sb earlier on Thursday. Noorani Sb was a man of letters, an accomplished lawyer, a scholar and 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”. Hyderabad MP and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi acknowledged learning from Noortani the “art of appreciating good food”, besides other things that are loftier in nature. “AG Noorani, a giant among scholars, 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,” Owasi wrote on X. Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, described Noorani as a “truly great Indian. “Outstanding researcher and writer on matters relating not just to law but also politics and public affairs. They don’t make people like him anymore. Salute him for his deep scholarship and brutal honesty. A truly great Indian”, Ramesh wrote on X. Noorani was a staunch critic of the Hindu right and wrote books such as “The RSS: A Menace to India”, “RSS and the BJP: A Division of Labour” and “Savarkar and Hindutva”.