President of the Middle Temple Association (Mtius)
It is with great shock and sadness that we have learnt of the sudden death of Judge Prithiviraj Fekna (age 54) in Seychelles on the 6 August 2019.
Ex laureate of the Royal College of Curepipe, Judge Fekna graduated from university with a Bachelor’s degree and held a Masters in Law in Legislative Drafting. Following which, he was called to the Mauritius Bar in 1992.
During his career at the Judiciary, he was appointed as Vice President of the Intermediate Court, President of the Industrial Court and Deputy Master and Registrar of the Supreme Court. At the age of 46, he was made Judge of the Supreme Court.
He was also a lecturer of the University of Mauritius and Council of Legal Education. He was always generous in giving advice and encouragement to the students and young legal practitioners.
He was assigned on a number of high-profile cases such as the murder of Gerald Lagesse and the murder of the Irish lady, Michaela Harte amongst other cases.
For those who have known him as a Judge, he will be remembered for his warmth, kindness and polite disposition towards one and all in the course of his duties and never unjust towards anybody.
The Middle Temple Association (Mauritius) was lucky to have him as a main speaker at a recent conference on the theme “The Role of the Judiciary in nation building”. He showed great objectivity and never used the beaten track standard in his approach to fairness, equity and justice.
He will always be remembered as a perfect gentleman and a smart judge well appreciated by all.