Soli Sorabjee is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters
Soli Sorabjee, the former Attorney General and one of the country's finest legal minds and jurists died of COVID-19 this morning. The 91-year-old senior lawyer was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Delhi. Following the news of his death, tributes started pouring in on Twitter. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who paid homage to Mr Sorabjee, a Padma Vibhushan recipient.
Offering condolences to Mr Sorabjee's family, President Kovind said, "We lost an icon of India's legal system". "He was among the select few who deeply influenced evolution of constitutional law & justice system," President Kovind added.
Referring to Mr Sorabjee as an "outstanding lawyer and intellectual", PM Modi said, "Through law, he was at the forefront of helping the poor and downtrodden".
Chief Justice NV Ramana issued a statement saying that Mr Sorabjee served the office of Attorney General of India twice with great distinction, adding, his humane and compassionate approach defined his legal work. "His body of work, spread over nearly seven decades, in defending the fundamental rights and human rights is of international repute. He will be remembered as a legend who added strength to the pillars of democracy," Justice Ramana said.
Home Minister Amit Shah said the former Attorney General will always be remembered for his contribution to the field of constitutional law. "Anguished to learn about the passing away of Shri Soli Sorabjee, a noted jurist and former Attorney General of India. Sorabjee was a doyen of the legal fraternity, who will always be remembered for his contribution in the field of constitutional law. My condolences to his family," Mr Shah tweeted.
Biswabhusan Harichandan, the Andhra Pradesh Governor, shared his prayers for Mr Sorabjee and offered condolences to bereaved family members. "My grief & sadness on passing of eminent jurist and former #AttorneyGeneral of India Sri #SoliSorabjee," Mr Harichandan tweeted.
"I pray for rest to his soul and offer my condolences to bereaved family members. He was honoured #PadmaVibhushan for defence of freedom of expression & protection of human rights," he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said he was deeply saddened to hear about Soli Sorabjee's death. "He was a legal luminary with widely acknowledged scholarship in Constitution Law. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and friends," Mr Patnaik tweeted.
Born in Mumbai in 1930, Soli Jehangir Sorabjee started his law practice in 1953 with the Bombay High Court. In 1971, he was designated as a senior counsel by the Supreme Court. He became an Attorney General first in 1989 and then from 1998 to 2004.
Here are some more tributes to the eminent lawyer, jurist and human rights activist.
Mr Sorabjee is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. In March 2002, he received the Padma Vibhushan award, the country's second-highest civilian honour, for his defence of freedom of speech and the protection of human rights.