Avinash Deobhakta

Born on 24 November 1936 in Lahore (then in British India, now in Pakistan),^[1] Deobhakta was educated in London, and then returned to Uganda.^[2] A lawyer, he rose to become the principal state attorney in the Ugandan Department of Public Prosecutions, and was later a chief magistrate.^[2] Following the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Idi Amin in 1972, Deobhakta emigrated to New Zealand with his family,^[3] and became a naturalised New Zealander in 1978.^[1]

Settling in Auckland, Deobhakta practised as a barrister sole until his appointment as a District Court judge in 1982.^[2] He was the first judge in New Zealand of Indian origin.^[4] He was also chair of the Waikeria District Prisons Board, and in 2002 was appointed to the New Zealand Parole Board as a northern region panel convenor.^[2]

In 1990, Deobhakta was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.^[5] He died in Auckland on 2 September 2015.^[6]