Sir Moti Tikaram, KBE, CF (18 March 1925 – 17 May 2012) was an Indo-Fijian judge, civil servant, and football administrator. He was the first Fijian appointed to be a magistrate, and the first appointed as a judge of the High Court of Fiji. From 1972 to 1987 he was Fiji's first ombudsman. He later served as President of the Fiji Court of Appeal.
Born | [1] | 18 March 1925
---|---|
Died | 17 May 2012 | (aged 87)
Nationality | Fijian citizenship |
Education | L.L.B. |
Occupation(s) | Judge, ombudsman |
Children | 3 |
Tikaram was born in Lami near Suva, and was educated at Samabula Government Indian School, Suva Methodist Primary School, and Marist Brothers High School.[2] He studied journalism at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, but switched to law after two years,[2] completing his studies at Victoria University of Wellington and graduating in 1954.[3] He was admitted to the bar in New Zealand in 1954,[4] and in Fiji in 1955.[5] He worked as a lawyer for several years, and successfully defended Tongan MP Samisoni Puliuvea Afuha'amango against a charge of sedition.[2][6]
He was appointed a stipendary magistrate in 1959. Following a riot at the Suva gaol in 1963, he was appointed to lead the resulting inquiry, and his recommendations formed the basis of a new prisons law.[7][8] In April 1969 he became the first Fijian-born person to be appointed a judge.[7] Following the retirement of Clifford Hammett, he served as acting Chief Justice of Fiji until replaced by John Nimmo.[9]
In 1972, he was appointed Fiji's first Ombudsman.[3][10] He served in the role until the 1987 Fijian coups d'état, when he retired;[11] at the time of his retirement, he was the longest serving national ombudsman in the world.[2] He was a member of the International Commission of Jurists from 1984 to 1989.[12]
After Fiji became a republic in 1987, he was re-appointed as a judge and served for many years as the President of the Fiji Court of Appeal.[13]
Following his death in 2012 the University of Fiji established an annual Sir Moti Tikaram Memorial Lecture in his honour.[14][15]
Tikaram was the President of the Fiji Football Association from 1959 to 1960, and was credited with making the Association multi-racial and initiating moves to have its name changed from Fiji Indian Football Association.[16]
He was the great uncle of actor Ramon Tikaram and singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram.