Hormasji Maneckji Seervai Biography 
Hormasji Maneckji Seervai was a well-known jurist, senior advocate and author who lived in the 20th century. A renowned Constitutional expert, government of India honoured him with the second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan in 1972 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Literature & Education. Many of his published works have appeared in journals and other forms of publications. He lived during the period, 1906–1996, and passed away on republic day.
Hormasji "Homi" Maneckji Seervai was born in Mumbai in present day Maharashtra in the year 1906. He belonged to a middle class Parsi family in Mumbai. He spent his childhood days in his hometown where he completed his schooling. Later he graduated in Philosophy from Elphinstone College, Mumbai in the year 1922. He also completed his law studies from Government Law College, Mumbai later, and started his career as a lawyer. He joined Chambers of Sir Jamshedji Behramji Kanga in 1932.
He served as Advocate General of Bombay during 1957 - 1960 and Maharashtra during 1960 – 1974 until he resigned from the post. During this term though he was offered seats in the Indian Supreme Court and as Attorney General for India, he declined the offer. Instead he preferred to contribute through critical analysis of higher court judgments. He lived a simple life and was well known for his simplicity.
As an author he is best known for the book, Constitutional Law of India – a Critical Commentary published in 1967. This work contributed significantly to the Kesavananda Bharati vs. The State of Kerala case (1973). His book, Partition of India: Legend and Reality (1989) was controversial as he blamed Jinnah and the Muslim League for the partition of India.
Published: September 18, 2018
Updated: September 18, 2018
