15 Facts About Kemal Bokhary

Kemal Bokhary was one of three Permanent Judges of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal from its inception in 1997 until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in October 2012; afterwards, he remained on the bench as a non-permanent judge.

Kemal Bokhary himself was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong in 1947.

Kemal Bokhary received his early education in the King George V School, Hong Kong and his legal education in London.

Kemal Bokhary is married to former High Court judge Verina Saeeda Kemal Bokhary, with whom he has three daughters.

Kemal Bokhary was called to the English Bar in 1970 and to the Hong Kong Bar the following year.

Kemal Bokhary went on to establish a successful legal practice in Hong Kong and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983.

Kemal Bokhary came to wide public attention in early 1993 for presiding over an inquest into the New Year's Eve stampede at Lan Kwai Fong, in which 21 people were killed.

Kemal Bokhary was promoted to the Court of Appeal later that year.

In 1997, upon the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to the People's Republic of China, Kemal Bokhary was appointed a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong.

Kemal Bokhary was known for his sense of humour and his talkativeness in court.

In 2001, Kemal Bokhary was elected a bencher of London's Middle Temple.

Out of the permanent judges of the Court of Final Appeal, Kemal Bokhary holds the record for the number of dissenting opinions he has written.

Kemal Bokhary retired from his position as Permanent Judge on 24 October 2012 upon reaching the retirement age of 65.

Kemal Bokhary has continued to sit as a Non-Permanent Judge, hearing occasional cases.

Since retirement as a Permanent Judge, Kemal Bokhary has published Recollections, a memoir, and the Crocky series, a series of cartoons, reflecting upon his career in the law.