Mota Singh
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| Born | 1930 Nairobi, Kenya |
| Residence | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Swarn Kaur |
Mota Singh is the United Kingdom‘s first Sikh and Asian judge.
Contents
Early Life
Mota Singh was born in 1930 in Nairobi, Kenya.
He was only sixteen years of age when he lost his father, Sardar Dalip Singh. The responsibility of the family with five younger siblings, widowed mother and grandfather fell upon him forcing him to leave studies. However, Mota Singh’s school teachers convinced his family to let him resume studies undertaking to finance his school education.[1]
Career
After a short stint as a clerk at the East African Railways and Harbours, he joined a European firm of lawyers in Nairobi. He was married in the meanwhile to Swaran Kaur in 1950 and a daughter was born a year later. But he continued his Bar studies. In 1953, Mota Singh accompanied by his wife and daughter went to England.[1] After passing the Bar final examinations in 1955, he returned to Kenya in 1956, to start his own practice as a Barrister in Nairobi. He also joined politics and was elected, at first as a City Councillor and then elevated to the position of Alderman of the City of Nairobi. He went on to hold many responsible positions before he decided in 1965 to migrate to England.[2] He joined the English bar in 1967 and made headlines with his appointment to the bench in 1982, the first from a minority ethnic group and first Judge to sit on the English Bench wearing a turban instead of a horse-hair wig.[3]
Mota Singh retired from the Bench in 2002.
In recognition of his achievements and his standing in the legal profession, Mota Singh was honoured by Lincoln’s Inn with his appointment as Master of the Bench. His other appointments in England include:
- Member of the Attorney General’s Race Advisory Committee
- Chairman of the Statutory Disciplinary Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
- Trustee of The Windsor Leadership Trust
- Trustee of the Ethnic Minority Foundation
- Vice President of Doctor Barnado’s Home
- Chairman of Guru Nanak Education Trust
- Chairman of Sikh Federation
- Chairman of the European Section of the World Sikh Council
Mota Singh retired from the Bench in 2002.
Honours
In 2010, Mota Singh was knighted by the Queen for his services to the Judiciary and for his charitable works