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William Comer Petheram
4th Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court
In office
24 March 1886 – November 1896
Appointed byQueen Victoria
Preceded byRichard Garth
Succeeded byFrancis William Maclean
3rd Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court
In office
1 November 1864 – 23 March 1886
Appointed byQueen Victoria
Preceded byRobert Stuart
Succeeded byJohn Edge
Personal details
Born1835
Lympsham, Somerset
Died15 May 1922
Spouse(s)Isabel Congreve
RelationsSir William Congreve (father-in-law),
Parent(s)William Petheram of Pinhoe
Occupationlawyer, judge
ProfessionChief Justice

Sir William Comer Petheram KC (1835 – 15 May 1922)[1] was an English-born British Indian judge. He was the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court and Calcutta High Court. He was also the Vice Chancellor of University of Calcutta. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1884.[2][3]

Career[edit | edit source]

Petheram was born in 1835 in Lympsham, Somerset,[4] the son of William Petheram of Pinhoe. In 1862 he was qualified as Special Pleader and passed from Middle Temple in 1869. He joined service as Chief Judge of the Chief Court of North-Western Provinces in India. Petheram first served as Chief justice of Allahabad High Court on 1 November 1884[5] to 1886[6] then became the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on 24 March 1886 after Sir Richard Garth[7] and retired in November 1896.[8] In 1887-90 he was also the Vice Chancellor of the Calcutta University.[2] In 1864, he wrote a book named The law and practice relating to discovery by interrogatories under the Common law procedure act, 1854.[9][10]

He presided over the first seditious libel case in colonial india.

He was knighted in 1884.

He married Isabel Congreve, daughter of Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet.[3]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "Petheram, Sir William Comer". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite IBD1915
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Obituary: Sir W. C. Petheram". The Times. 19 May 1922. p. 13.
  4. 1911 England Census
  5. Great Britain. India Office (1819). "The India List and India Office List". Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  6. "About High Court". hcbaallahabad.in. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  7. "Colonies And India". newspaperarchive.com. 5 March 1886. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  8. "Former Chief Justices". calcuttahighcourt.nic.in. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  9. "The law and practice relating to discovery by interrogatories under the Common law procedure act, 1854". 1864. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  10. C. E. Buckland (1999). Dictionary of Indian Biography. COSMO Publications. ISBN 9788170208976. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Sir Richard Garth
Chief Justice of Bengal
1886–1896
Succeeded by
Sir Francis William Maclean