Alvin Robert Cornelius (May 1903 - 1991), a Catholic, was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from May 13, 1960 to February 29, 1968. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court for about 17 years. Born in Agra he was educated at the Allahabad University and at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He joined the Indian Civil Service in 1926. He served in Punjab, where he held the positions of Assistant Commissioner and District and Sessions Judge till 1943 when he joined Law Department of Government of Punjab as Legal Remembrancer. In 1946 Mr. Cornelius was elevated to the Bench of Lahore High Court.

In 1950-51 he served as Secretary of Law and Labour at Karachi. Justice Cornelius was appointed to the Federal Court of Pakistan in November 1951 and continued as Judge with regular intervals till 1953 when he was confirmed as a Judge of the Federal Court of Pakistan.

In 1954, the National Assembly of Pakistan tried to change the constitution to establish checks on the Governor-General's powers, in order to prevent a repeat of what had happened to Nazimuddin's government. In response, Ghulam Muhammad dismissed the Assembly, an action that was challenged in the Supreme Court. Ghulam Muhammad emerged victorious when the Chief Justice Muhammad Munir upheld the dismissal in a split decision, despite the dissenting opinion written by the renowned Justice (later Chief Justice) A. R. Cornelius, and despite protests from the members of the Assembly.

Justice A.R. Cornelius was appointed as the Chief Justice of Pakistan in 1960.

Works

• Law and judiciary in Pakistan; Lahore Law Times Publications; (1981)
• The ethical basis for democracy in Pakistan; Hamdard National Foundation, Pakistan; (1971)

References

• Chief Justice Cornelius of Pakistan: An Analysis With Letters and Speeches, by Ralph Braibanti [ISBN 0-19-579018-9]
• Judging the State: Courts and Constitutional Politics in Pakistan, by Paula R. Newberg [ISBN 0-521-89440-9]

See also

• List of Pakistanis
• Chief Justice of Pakistan

See also

• Chief Justices of Pakistan