Syed Abdul Nazeer

(Redirected from S. Abdul Nazeer)

Syed Abdul Nazeer (born 5 January 1958)[1][2] is the 22nd Governor of Andhra Pradesh. He is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former judge of the Karnataka High Court. He was appointed the Governor of Andhra Pradesh on 12 February 2023.[3]

Syed Abdul Nazeer
Official portrait, 2023
22nd Governor of Andhra Pradesh
Assumed office
24 February 2023
PresidentDroupadi Murmu
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi
Chief MinisterN. Chandrababu Naidu
Preceded byBiswabhusan Harichandan
Judge in Supreme Court of India
In office
17 February 2017 – 4 January 2023
Nominated byJagdish Singh Khehar
Appointed byPranab Mukherjee
Judge of Karnataka High Court
In office
12 May 2003 – 16 February 2017
Nominated byV. N. Khare
Appointed byA. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Personal details
Born (1958-01-05) 5 January 1958 (age 66)
Beluvai, Mysore State, India
(present-day Karnataka)
Residence(s)Raj Bhavan, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Alma materS.D.M. Law College
Mahaveera College

Early life

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Abdul Nazeer was born into an Urdu-speaking Muslim family belonging to the Dakshina Kannada district of coastal Karnataka. He is the son of Fakir Saheb and he has five siblings.[1] He grew up in Beluvai and Moodbidri and completed his B.Com. Degree at Mahaveera College in Moodbidri. He later obtained a BA. LL.B degree from SDM Law College, Mangalore[2][1] (formerly known as "Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Law College").

Career

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Judicial career (1983–January 2023)

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The Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Justice (Retd.) S. Abdul Nazeer called on the President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan

After obtaining his law degree, Nazeer enrolled as an advocate in 1983 and practised at the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore. In May 2003, he was appointed as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court.[4] He was later appointed a permanent judge of the same High Court. In February 2017, while serving as a judge of the Karnataka High Court, Nazeer was elevated to the Supreme Court of India. He became only the third judge ever to be elevated in this way, without first becoming the chief justice of some high court.[5]

While serving on the Supreme Court, Nazeer was the lone Muslim judge in a multi-faith bench which heard the controversial Triple Talaq case in 2017.[6][7] Though Nazeer and one other judge upheld the validity of the practise of Triple Talaq (Talaq-e-Biddat) based on the fact that it is permissible under Muslim Sharia Law, it was barred by the bench by 3–2 majority and asked the Central government to bring legislation in six months to govern marriage and divorce in the Muslim community.[8][9] The court said until the government formulates a law regarding triple talaq, there would be an injunction on husbands pronouncing triple talaq on their wives.[10][11]

He was also part of the five-judge bench of the 2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya dispute. He upheld the report of ASI, which stated the existence of a Hindu Structure in the disputed region. He gave the verdict in favour of Ram Mandir thus ending the years-long dispute with a 5-0 verdict.[12]

In the months leading up to his retirement, Nazeer led a constitution bench that heard cases about the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation carried out by the Government of India.[13] He retired on 4 January 2023.[14]

Governor of Andhra Pradesh (February 2023–present)

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On 12 February 2023, the President of India appointed Nazeer as the 24th governor of Andhra Pradesh, succeeding Biswabhusan Harichandan.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Mangalorean Justice Abdul Nazeer among the 5 new judges of Supreme Court". Mangaloretoday.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Moodbidri based Justice S Abdul Nazeer becomes Supreme Court judge | Udayavani – ಉದಯವಾಣಿ". Udayavani. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  3. ^ Vennelakanti, Pradeep Kumar (12 February 2023). "Former Supreme Court judge Abdul Nazeer appointed as AP Governor". The Hans India. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Hon'ble Mr. Justice S.Abdul Nazeer". Karnatakajudiciary.kar.nic.in. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  5. ^ "HC judge elevated to Supreme court". The New Indian Express. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Triple talaq case: Muslim judge on multi-faith bench kept mum all through". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. ^ "5 Judges of 5 Faiths Give Verdict on Triple Talaq". Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Supreme Court declares triple talaq unconstitutional, strikes it down by 3:2 majority". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Five Supreme Court judges who passed the verdict on triple talaq". Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Injunction on husbands pronouncing triple talaq until law is made: SC advocate". Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  11. ^ "This Is What Supreme Court Said in Triple Talaq Judgment [Read Judgment]". Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  12. ^ "SC verdict refers to ASI report on 'Hindu structure' at Ayodhya site – this is what it says".
  13. ^ "Constitution Bench says 'embarrassing' to adjourn demonetisation case". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Retired SC Judge S. Abdul Nazeer Made Andhra Pradesh Governor, Had Delivered Ayodhya Temple Judgment". The Wire. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  15. ^ "'Whole ecosystem in full swing once again': Kiren Rijiju on criticism over ex-SC judge Abdul Nazeer's appointment as governor". The Indian Express. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.