Syed Mahmood: Colonial India's Dissenting Judge

At a time when ordinary courage has become rare, one has to look up to the lives of those who stood for dissent in the colonial era. Back in the 19th century, Justice Syed Mahmood, son of the great social reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, became the first judge to resist colonial power by espousing the cause of judicial independence. At the age of just 32, he not only remains the youngest, but also the first Indian Muslim and first north Indian to be appointed as a High Court judge in India. En...