Scholar, prolific writer and legal luminary A.G. Noorani died at his residence in Mumbai on Thursday. He was 94.

Born Abdul Ghafoor Majeed Noorani in Mumbai on September 16, 1930, his death was widely mourned with former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah remembering his work on matters of law and subjects such as Kashmir, the RSS and the Constitution.

Noorani obtained his law degree from Government Law College, Mumbai, and his legal career was illustrious, with a practice that spanned the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court.

He has authored several books, including The Kashmir Dispute 1947-2012, Article 370: A Constitutional History of Jammu and Kashmir and The Destruction of Hyderabad, besides being a regular contributor as a columnist in various national and regional newspapers.

Noorani also authored the biographies of former President Dr Zakir Husain and Badruddin Tyabji, the first Indian to practise as a barrister of the High Court of Mumbai during British rule.

A regular visitor to Kashmir, Noorani defended National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah during his long period of detention and also appeared in Bombay High Court for former Tamil Nadu chief minister Karunanidhi against the DMK leader’s main political rival J. Jayalalithaa.

Highly respected for his expertise on constitutional matters, Noorani’s works also include extensive writing on matters pertaining to Indian Muslims, besides presenting numerous papers at seminars to educate audiences across the country about various
issues.