Alvin Robert Cornelius (Judges)

(8 May 1903 – 21 December 1991) 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 and known as 'Bobby', he was educated at the Allahabad University and at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He was a Roman Catholic.

Career

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.

Cricket

Cornelius was closely associated with the Lahore Gymkhana Cricket Club which played at Bagh-e-Jinnah. He was the main founding figure of Pakistan cricket after partition. Cornelius one of the three original vice-Presidents of the Pakistan Cricket Board (then B.C.C.P.) and became Chairman of the working committee, serving until he first relinquished his connection with the Board in early 1953. Cornelius was in September 1960 made Chairman of the first Ad Hoc Committee, created to run cricket in Pakistan until May 1963. Cornelius's proudest achievement in cricket was to found the Pakistan Eaglets, an informal club of promising young Pakistani cricketers, which made tours of England in 1952 and 1953 in preparation for the first full Test tour of England in 1954.

Death

Cornelius died at the age of 88 on 21 December 1991, in Lahore and was buried in the city's Christian cemetery.