# Bhinod Bacha

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**Sir Bhinod Bacha**, [CMG](/source/Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) (1943 – 17 June 2023) was the former most senior Civil Servant (Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service) of [Mauritius](/source/Mauritius).[1][2]

He joined the Civil Service in 1968, working mainly at the Prime Minister's Office during Sir [Seewoosagur Ramgoolam](/source/Seewoosagur_Ramgoolam)'s and later Sir [Anerood Jugnauth](/source/Anerood_Jugnauth)'s terms in office as [Prime Minister](/source/List_of_prime_ministers_of_Mauritius). By 1981 he had been promoted to Head of the Civil Service.[3] He was also a board member of several para-statal bodies.

After the 2010 General Elections he was nominated as an Advisor at the Ministry of Land and Housing, but had to resign after the 2014 General Elections.[4][5]

In February 2017, he was appointed an Advisor at the Prime Minister's Office, soon after the resignation of Sir [Anerood Jugnauth](/source/Anerood_Jugnauth).[6]

In the evening of 17 June 2023 Bacha died at Victoria Hospital in Candos after being struck earlier by a car at Orchard Centre's parking lot. Bacha had been dragged underneath the car for a distance as the driver failed to stop on impact, and helpers subsequently had to lift the car in an attempt to rescue the 80-year-old victim.[7]

## Family Life

Bhinod Bacha grew up in [Mahebourg](/source/Mahebourg) where he was born.[8] His father Soorooj was an accountant who worked for the local railway company.[9]

Bacha married Rubee Pillay who gave birth to their son Yamesh. However Rubee Pillay died during a house fire. Bacha married his second wife Kathleen Colimalay who gave birth to Lamesh, but both Kathleen and Lamesh later died during a house fire in 1994.[10] In October 2000 Bacha officially married Joyce Prayag-Castellano.[11]

Bacha was instrumental to secure approvals to construct the Hibiscus Boutique Hotel in Pereybere, now owned by his extended family.[12]

## Controversies

Following the [Quatre Bornes](/source/Quatre_Bornes) house fire on 6 June 1994 during which his wife Kathleen and son Lamesh *Popo* died, Sir Bhinod Bacha and his companion Joyce Castellano were jailed and faced murder charges. However they were both acquitted in 1996. A few weeks after the 1994 house fire [Harish Boodhoo](/source/Harish_Boodhoo) held a public meeting during which he requested a proper investigation into the 1980's murder of Bacha's first wife Rubee Pillay, the death of Bacha's house-maid by suffocation, as well as the murder of a foreign pilot of [Air Mauritius](/source/Air_Mauritius) at Pointe d'Esny.[13][14]

In the morning of 15 December 2003 Bacha was stabbed by an acquaintance, 40-year-old James Edmund Sanhye (also known as Roger Sanhye) in front of *La Baguette Magique* bakery in [Quatre Bornes](/source/Quatre_Bornes). Roger Sanhye stated that he was attempting to steal Bacha's car, and denied that it was a revenge attack following Bacha's refusal to bankroll Sanhye's videoclub project.[15][16]

Following his role as Special Adviser to [Navin Ramgoolam](/source/Navin_Ramgoolam), Bacha was interrogated by police in 2015 about his role in the allocation of Crown Land to [socio-cultural activist](/source/Socio-Cultural_Group) pandit Sungkur for the construction of his private business *Rittum Coffee* at Mon-Choisy. The representative of the Ministry of Land, public servant Noorani Oozeer, stated that he had been coerced by [Navin Ramgoolam](/source/Navin_Ramgoolam) via Bacha to breach procedures during this allocation of public property to activist Sungkur.[17]

## Recognition

He was knighted in December 1991 during Queen Elizabeth II's [1992 New Year Honours](/source/1992_New_Year_Honours), thus becoming one of the last 2 Mauritians to receive a British honour as a few months later Mauritius became a [republic](/source/Mauritius_(1968%E2%80%931992)) in March 1992.[18][19]

## References

1. Boulle, Jérôme & Sivaramen, Nad (12 February 2018). ["50ansMoris: ces grands commis de l'État"](https://www.lexpress.mu/article/326422/50ansmoris-grands-commis-letat). L'Express. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

1. ["Sir Bhinod Bacha: Il n'était pas né avec une cuillère en argent"](https://www.lemauricien.com/actualites/deces-de-sir-anerood-jugnauth-sir-bhinod-bacha-il-netait-pas-ne-avec-une-cuillere-en-argent/427512/). Le Mauricien. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.

1. ["Sir Bhinod Bacha: Pourquoi je pardonne à mon aggresseur"](https://www.5plus.mu/node/13583). 5 Plus. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

1. ["Conseillers du Premier ministre: les "dinosaures" ont le vent en poupe"](https://www.lexpress.mu/article/300070/conseillers-premier-ministre-dinosaures-ont-vent-en-poupe). L'Express. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.

1. ["Sir Bhinod Bacha démissionne en tant que Senior Advisor au PMO"](https://www.lexpress.mu/article/256489/sir-bhinod-bacha-demissionne-en-tant-que-senior-advisor-au-pmo?fbclid=IwAR37IwmmKWf-wZrf-rLZsCt-uAh4MHwzpaCfFkqMRs9amVEe_TIo2Q0fUrk). L'Express. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.

1. ["Sir Bhinod Bacha fait son retour au PMO"](https://defimedia.info/sir-bhinod-bacha-fait-son-retour-au-pmo). Defimedia. Retrieved 5 February 2017.

1. Denmamode, Yasin; Nursingen, Selvanee; Carpayen, Shelly (18 June 2023). ["Sir Bhinod Bacha: tragique reverence"](https://lexpress.mu/node/423740). L'Express. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

1. Moorlah, Suresh (20 May 2017). ["Cour suprême: Sir Bhinod Bacha et son épouse en instance de divorce"](https://lexpress.mu/article/307679/cour-supreme-sir-bhinod-bacha-et-son-epouse-en-instance-divorce). L'Express. Retrieved 20 May 2017.

1. Savripène, Marie-Annick (25 September 2014). ["Bacha & Bacha: La comptabilité de père en fils..."](https://lexpress.mu/article/252980/bacha-bacha-comptabilite-pere-en-fils). L'Express. Retrieved 25 September 2014.

1. ["Décès de sir Bhinod Bacha: le fonctionnaire le plus puissant de tous les temps"](https://lexpress.mu/article/423836/deces-sir-bhinod-bacha-fonctionnaire-plus-puissant-tous-temps). L'Express. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.

1. Moorlah, Suresh (20 May 2017). ["Cour suprême: Sir Bhinod Bacha et son épouse en instance de divorce"](https://lexpress.mu/article/307679/cour-supreme-sir-bhinod-bacha-et-son-epouse-en-instance-divorce). L'Express. Retrieved 20 May 2017.

1. Savripène, Marie-Annick (25 September 2014). ["Bacha & Bacha: La comptabilité de père en fils..."](https://lexpress.mu/article/252980/bacha-bacha-comptabilite-pere-en-fils). L'Express. Retrieved 25 September 2014.

1. ["Dans la presse du 25 mars"](https://www.lexpress.mu/article/303051/dans-presse-25-mars?fbclid=IwAR0WD7UEvO6JEr0MaiPF_2r6OBGc3ko08Tiujp0Eq5rJz25xNNlMH0yHOb4). L'Express. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

1. Moorlah, Suresh (20 May 2017). ["Cour suprême: Sir Bhinod Bacha et son épouse en instance de divorce"](https://www.lexpress.mu/article/307679/cour-supreme-sir-bhinod-bacha-et-son-epouse-en-instance-divorce). L'Express. Retrieved 20 May 2017.

1. ["Sir Bhinod pardonne à son agresseur"](https://lexpress.mu/article/sir-bhinod-pardonne-%C3%A0-son-agresseur). L'Express. Retrieved 6 February 2007.

1. Veeramundar, Rudy. ["Sir Bhinod Bacha: Pourquoi je pardonne à mon aggresseur"](https://www.5plus.mu/node/13583). 5Plus. Retrieved 1 August 2007.

1. ["State Land Saga: Sir Bhinod Bacha convoqué dans le cas du pandit Sungkur"](https://www.lemauricien.com/le-mauricien/state-land-saga-sir-bhinod-bacha-convoque-cas-du-pandit-sungkur/34448/). Le Mauricien. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.

1. ["Third Supplement to London Gazette 30 December 1991"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/52769/supplement/41/data.pdf). The Gazette. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

1. Hilbert, Patrick. ["Sir Bhinod Bacha : disparition d'un des derniers Mohicans de la Fonction publique"](https://defimedia.info/sir-bhinod-bacha-disparition-dun-des-derniers-mohicans-de-la-fonction-publique). Defimedia. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bhinod Bacha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhinod_Bacha) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhinod_Bacha?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.