MAN SINGH, JUSTICE

MAN SINGH, JUSTICE (1887-1949), known as Bhai Man Singh up to his thirties, was born in 1887 at Ambala, now in Haryana, the youngest of the three sons of Nand Singh who had fought against the British in the second AngloSikh war (1849) and had then worked under them as superintendent of excise. Man Singh, who became an orphan at a very young age, attended successively Mission High School and A.S. High School in his native town and later joined the Khalsa College at Amritsar. While at school he had founded an association of Sikh youth, Khalsa Bhujharigi Dal, and now in Amritsar he took a leading part in setting up Khalsa Youngnnen Association and was the editor of its journal from 1905 to 1909.

He was still reading for his B.A. final, when he was nominated a member of the Chief Khalsa Diwan. After his graduation he joined the Law College at Lahore and, on completing his Bachelor`s course, returned to Ambala to start his legal practice. He was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly from the East Punjab Sikh Constituency in 1921. In 1922, Man Singh shifted to Lahore and practised as a lawyer at the Punjab Chief Court. He was vice-president of the Chief Khalsa Diwan from 1923 to 1925 and secretary of the reception committee of the Sikh Educational Conference session held at Lahore in 1926.

He was legal adviser to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee from 1926 to 1929. From 1930 to 1932, he worked as an officiating judge of the High Court in Patiala state. In 1935, he was appointed a judge of the Sikh Gurdwaras Tribunal and president of the Sikh Gurdwaras Judicial Commission. He worked in that capacity up to 1943 when he was appointed a member of the Judicial Committee in the princely state of Faridkot. The Judicial Committee heard appeals arising from the judgements of the Faridkot High Court. Man Singh retained this position until the formation of Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) in 1948.

In November 1948, he was appointed an officiating judge of the newly established High Court of PEPSU. Besides his legal work, Man Singh translated into Punjabi verse two Sanskrit classics Vikramorvasi by Kalidasa and Vairdgya Sataka by Bhartnhari. He also contributed articles regularly to several of the Sikh magazines and newspapers. Among the tracts he wrote in Punjabi was Science to Astiktd which became popular reading. His translation ofKhyam`s Rubd`ldt remained unfinished. Man Singh died at Patiala on 7 January 1949.

References :

1. Khalsa Samachar, 13 January 1949