Justice Amjad Ahtesham Sayed was sworn in as the 27th Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh high court. He was administered the oath of office by governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Raj Bhawan.
Justice Amjad Ahtesham Sayed was born on 21st January 1961. He obtained a bachelor’s in law from Bombay University in the year 1984. He was on the Panel of Central Government, Bombay High Court (Senior Counsel Group). He was also an Assistant Government Pleader, Bombay High Court. He has appeared in Public Interest Litigation matters relating to mangroves, garbage dumping, free/concessional medical treatment for the poor in charitable hospitals, bio medical waste, and malnutrition, amongst others on behalf of the Union of India/State Government. He was on the panel of several Public Undertakings and has also appeared in Arbitration on their behalf. He was also a Notary Public, Government of India. He is a keen sports enthusiast.
NOTABLE JUDGEMENT
Illegal’ loudspeakers at religious places where the contempt petitioner approached the high court for seeking directions and order for the removal of loudspeakers illegally installed on certain mosques in Navi Mumbai. Petitioner plea before a division bench of Justice A A Sayed and Justice Abhay Ahuja, the high court judgement “We hold that all places of worship of all religions are bound by the provisions of the Noise Pollution Rules and no religion can claim the fundamental right of using loudspeakers or public address systems or instruments creating noise as a part of the right conferred by Articles 19(1)(a) (Right to freedom of speech and expression) and 25 of the Constitution of India. Thus, we hold that all places of worship of all religions shall scrupulously follow the provisions of the Noise Pollution Rules and no such place of worship is entitled to use loudspeakers or public address systems without obtaining permission under SubRule (1) of Rule 5. Needless to add, if a place of worship is in a silence zone, the law laid down by this Court which is applicable to silence zones shall squarely apply to such places.”
Unless judicial appointments are expedited, the entire system may crumble, Justice AA Sayed said about vacancies in the judiciary coupled with a mounting pendency of cases.
