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BARRISTER FOR THE DEFENCE
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Rudy Narayan
[1938 - 1998]
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Rudy Narayan will be remembered as one of the most
charismatic and controversial figures in both Britain's Black community
and the legal profession. For more than 30 years Rudy fearlessly exposed
racism in its every manifestation, both in his chosen profession and in
the wider society.
Rudy came to Britain in 1952. He entered
Lincoln's Inn aged 19, and returned there in 1965 following national
service.
At a time when only a handful of people from the African,
Asian and Caribbean communities had made it through the obstacle course
and the glass ceiling to a legal career in Britain. Rudy Narayan became a
household name. He prevented scores of cases of miscarriage of justice,
taking the lead in such high-profile political trials as those of the
Thornton Heath 10, Cricklewood 11, and Bradford 12. He not only secured
justice for innocent members of the minority communities, he also educated
the public, both black and white, and dragged the establishment, kicking
and screaming, towards a painful re-examination of its own deeply held
beliefs and prejudices.
Needless to say, that the same
establishment exacted a painful and protracted revenge; and finally in
1994, he was disbarred for professional misconduct after his fifth
disciplinary tribunal in 25 years. Characteristically, he remarked: "I
have been expecting this for 25 years."
Although the British
establishment determined his formal professional status, they could never
silence his advocacy for the oppressed. The huge numbers of people who
made their way to his offices on the south London "frontline" of Brixton,
were his witnesses, judge and jury. For Black people, rich and poor, and
for many white working class people, too, Rudy would always be their
"Barrister for the Defence", the title of his first book, published in
1985.
Throughout his established career, Rudy scored many a
triumph. In 1985, he successfully forced the then Attorney General, Sir
Patrick Mayhew, to concede that the Race Relations Act 1916 failed to
cover the legal professions and to agree to introduce fresh legislation.
Two years previously, he had been cleared by the Bar's disciplinary
council, having been accused of vilifying the Attorney General and the
Director of Public Prosecutions through his statement that they were in an
"unholy alliance with the National Front".
In December 1995, after
he had already been removed from the Bar, he stood at the forefront with
protesters from Brixton's Black community following the death in police
custody of Wayne Douglas. He was a champion, and a pioneer, for the
elimination of racial injustices.
In 1973, he founded the Society
of Black Lawyers. which remains the most active and representative body in
its field. His international links also developed, and in 1991, he was
guest speaker at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Legal Aid and
Defence Fund, operated by the National Association for the Advancement of
Coloured People (NAACP), the oldest and largest civil rights organisation
in the United States.
Such was Rudy Narayan's outspokenness that,
at times, his tactical judgements were questioned. But never his
commitment or his courage. As a Caribbean man of Indian background, who
lived most of his adult life in the metropolis of London, he could rise
above petty divisions and as a true internationalist, could identify and
struggle with all peoples in pursuit of justice.
Rudy's eloquence,
passion and distinctive style often made his standpoint seem unique. But
many of the opinions for which he was once abused and shunned are now very
widely accepted. As with so many pioneers, the real beneficiaries of his
work and struggle will be the younger and future
generations.
His books include:
Black community
on Trial 1976
When judges conspire 1989
An eight part television
series Black Silk 1985 was based on his career
Married in 1970 to
Dr Naseem Akbar.
He leaves three daughters, Sharmeen, Yasmeen and
Sita.
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