{{short description|7th Chief Justice of Belize}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = George Singh | relations = | appointer3 = | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | birth_date = May 1937 | birth_place = Belize City, British Honduras (now Belize) | birth_name = George Bawa Singh | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|3|9|1937|5||df=y}} | death_place = Belize | spouse = | party = | children = | term_end3 = | alma_mater = Norman Manley Law School | occupation = | profession = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = | father = | mother = | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | nominator3 = | term_start3 = | image = | term_start1 = | alt = | caption = | order = | office = 7th Chief Justice of Belize | term_start = 2 February 1998 | term_end = 26 August 1998 | appointer = Sir Colville Young | nominator = Manuel Esquivel | predecessor = Sir George N. Brown | office1 = | term_end1 = | office3 = | nominator1 = | appointer1 = | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | office2 = | term_start2 = | term_end2 = | nominator2 = | appointer2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | honorific_suffix = | successor = Manuel Sosa }}
'''George Bawa Singh''' (May 1937 – 9 March 1999) was a Belizean judge who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1998 and as a Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court from 1991 to 1998. He previously served as Solicitor General and Director of Public Prosecutions.<ref name="obit">{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/23441|title=Justice George Singh dies|work=News 5 Belize|date=9 March 1999|accessdate=20 April 2012}}</ref>
== Early life ==
Singh was born in May 1937.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://www.dloc.com/AA00064465/00001|title=Belizean Poets|publisher=Belize Government Information Service|year=1977|page=vii|oclc=947238185}}</ref> His father Bawa Singh Mann was a Sikh who had immigrated from India in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Virk|first=Hardev Singh|date=2012|title=Review of "Sikhs in Latin America: Travels among the Sikh Diaspora"|url=https://www.academia.edu/25680295|journal=Abstracts of Sikh Studies |publisher=Institute of Sikh Studies|publication-place=Chandigarh|volume=XIV|issue=2|via=Academia.edu}}</ref> Singh himself converted to Christianity.<ref name="SGV">{{cite web|title=Immigrant Stories: Belize|url=http://www.sikhglobalvillage.com/stories_sikhbelize1.htm |accessdate=20 April 2012|publisher=Sikh Global Village}}</ref> He graduated from Wesley College in 1954. That same year, he wrote three poems: "Dawn", "Dusk", and "Soliloquy of a Murderer". He received the gold medal for the last one in a national poetry competition.<ref name=":0" />
== Career ==
After his graduation, Singh briefly worked as a primary school teacher<ref name=":0" /> before joining the public service in 1955.<ref name="obit" /> Starting as a clerk, he eventually became a customs inspector.<ref name=":0" /> Looking for a change in career, Singh entered the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, where he graduated in 1978.<ref name="News519980202">{{cite news|date=2 February 1998|title=Chief and two new justices sworn in|work=News 5 Belize|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/25393|accessdate=20 April 2012|archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410223718/https://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/25393|url-status=dead}}</ref> Singh held the posts of Solicitor General and Director of Public Prosecutions, and later played a significant role in the establishment of the Family Court, on which he also served as its first judge.<ref name="obit" /><ref name="News519980202" /> In 1991 he was named a Justice of the Supreme Court.<ref name="News519980202" /> He was sworn in as Chief Justice on 2 February 1998, along with Supreme Court Puisne Justices Manuel Sosa and John Rivero. He took up the CJ position at a busy time, when there were plans to add two temporary justices from Australia to help with processing the sizeable number of civil cases before the court.<ref name="News519980202" /> However, due to Singh's failing health, PM Manuel Esquivel transferred him to a less-demanding position as a judge of the Court of Appeal on 26 August 1998, naming Manuel Sosa as the new CJ. The timing of this decision was criticised by the opposition during the 1998 election campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/24445|title=New Chief Justice to be appointed before election|work=News 5 Belize|date=19 August 1998|accessdate=19 April 2012|archive-date=23 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023143554/http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/24445|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/24390|title=Sosa sworn in as Chief Justice|work=News 5 Belize|date=26 August 1998|accessdate=19 April 2012|archive-date=17 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217095327/http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/24390|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Family==
Singh was married and had three sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren.<ref name="obit" /> Among his sons is former Minister of Police Douglas Singh<ref name="SGV" /> and former CEO of Trade and Investments for Belize, Michael Singh.<ref>{{Cite web|date=3 June 2014|title=CEO Singh Says Puerto Azul Project Needs Downscaling|url=http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=28929|access-date=27 February 2021|website=Tropical Vision Limited}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2 November 2011|title=Mike Singh challenges Santi for Caribbean Shores|url=https://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/62747|access-date=27 February 2021|website=News 5 Belize|language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Death ===
Singh died of a long-term illness on 9 March 1999.<ref name="obit" />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{succession box|title=Chief Justice of the Belize Supreme Court|before=Sir George Brown|after=Manuel Sosa|years=1998}} {{s-end}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, George}} Category:1937 births Category:1999 deaths Category:Belizean Christians Category:Belizean people of Indian descent Category:Chief justices of Belize Category:Converts to Christianity from Sikhism Category:Directors of Public Prosecutions of Belize Category:People associated with the Norman Manley Law School Category:Solicitors-general of Belize