My Mother — Page 82
82 leave the High Court in May of that year. In April he sent me a message that I should call on him. There was at that time a vacancy on the High Court Bench and I felt that the Chief Justice was now inclined to recommend me for appointment to it. Chaudhri Sir Shahbuddin confirmed this and urged me to call on Sir Shadi Lal who was anxious to see me. I told him that I was no longer interested in a seat on the Bench and that he might tell the Chief Justice so. Sir Douglas Young, a judge of the Allahabad High Court, was appointed Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court in succession to Sir Shadi Lal. On the very first Sunday after he had taken over, he sent for me and as soon as I had greeted him said, ‘Chaudhri Sahib, why do you not come and sit with me on the Bench?’ I thanked him for his kind offer, but expressed my inability to accept it. He then said, ‘Should you change your mind, let me know and I shall recommend you for appointment to the first per- manent vacancy on the Bench that should become available. ’ He was from the very first day most kind to me. I never lost a case in his court. In May 1935, I succeeded Sir Fazal-i-Husain as Member of the Executive Council of the Governor-General. The term of office of a Member was five years. On the expiry of my term in May 1940 I was re-appointed for another full term under a fresh Royal Warrant. This had never happened before in 163 years of British Administration. In March 1941, the Muslim Judge on the Federal (later Supreme) Court of India, Sir Shah Sulaiman, died. The Chief Justice of the Federal Court, Sir Maurice Gwyer, told the Governor-General, that I was the only Muslim he would recommend for filling the