Alvin Robert Cornelius, HPk (8 May 1903 – 21 December 1991) was a Pakistani jurist, legal philosopher and judge, serving as the 4th Chief Justice of Pakistan from 1960 until 1968. In addition, he served as Law Minister in the cabinet of Yahya Khan, 1969 – 16 December 1971.
Cornelius was born in Agra, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh in British India, to an Urdu-speaking Anglo-Indian Roman Catholic family. He did his schooling at St. Peter's College, Agra. Cornelius graduated from the University of Allahabad and Selwyn College, Cambridge. He was commissioned into the Indian Civil Service and was the assistant commissioner in the Punjab, starting his judicial career in the Lahore High Court in 1943, later joining the Justice department of the Punjab government. During this time, Cornelius became a recognised jurist, publishing important textbooks in Pakistani legal history during his career. Cornelius also became a leading activist for the Pakistan Movement.
In 1946, Cornelius was elevated to associate judge of the Lahore High Court; opting for Pakistan, Cornelius became an important figure in country's legal history. Initially serving as the law secretary for Law Minister Jogendra Nath Mandal and Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, Cornelius played an integral role in setting up the court system while advising the law minister and the prime minister. Among his notable cases were actions defending non-Muslims' rights (Freedom of religion), the Bogra case against presidential reserve powers (see the inactive Article 58(2)B of the VIII Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan), defending workplace and labour laws, and sports law in regard to the Pakistan Cricket Board. Cornelius was regarded as a man of justice, fighting against religious extremism and religious discrimination, warning, in these regards, against "A general feeling of despair, a widespread lack of confidence... and a common readiness to anticipate the worst".
In 1960, President Ayub Khan nominated Cornelius to the Chief Justiceship of Pakistan; rivals for the position were briefly discussed, but eventually he was elevated to the position. Alvin Robert Cornelius became the first Christian Chief Justice, becoming one of the most famous and influential figures ever to serve on the Supreme Court. After his departure from the Court, Cornelius remained influential and was a symbol of the protection of the rights of minorities and freedom of religious practices, whilst serving as the legal adviser to successive governments on judicial matters.
Early life
Family roots and education
Alvin Robert Cornelius was born on 8 May 1903, in Agra, United Provinces of the British Indian Empire, to a Christian Anglo-Indian Urdu-speaking family. He came from a well established family of Anglo-Indian ancestry with Luso-Indian roots on his maternal side, and his parents Professor I.J. Cornelius and Tara D' Rozario were amongst a few of the notable figures of the Roman Catholic Anglo-Indian minority community of India. His grandfather, Michael D'Rozario was Deputy-Range Officer-Forests, Central India. His father was a professor of mathematics at Holkar college. He was a close friend of lawyer Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar. Cornelius was admitted at the University of Allahabad after passing the university entrance exam in 1920. After admitting at the law school of the University of Allahabad, Cornelius gained his BS in mathematics and LLB in civil law, with writing a comprehensive thesis on history of religious law in 1924.
Cornelius joined the law faculty of the university, working there as a research associate, and won the government scholarship to pursue further education abroad. The same year, Cornelius went to the United Kingdom for his higher education and was admitted at Cambridge University, attending the Selwyn College to study law. In 1926, Cornelius graduated with LLM in Law and Justice and submitted his fundamental thesis on Western law. After reluctantly returning to India, Cornelius took the entrance exam and was commissioned as an officer at the Indian Civil Service, joining the Department of Law of the Government of Punjab.
Career in law
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.