<p>Leading lawyer Hira Lal Sibal, who had defended noted Urdu short story writer Saadat Hassan Manto in 1945, passed away here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Sibal, the father of union minister for communications Kapil Sibal, was 98. Another of Sibal's sons, Kanwal Sibal, has served as India's foreign secretary.<br /><br />Sibal had been admitted to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here a few days back and died of problems related to advanced age Saturday morning, doctors said.<br /><br />Sibal had served as advocate general of Punjab twice and was a well known lawyer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Supreme Court.<br /><br />His legal practice spanned 67 years. He was among the few lawyers to turn down the offer of becoming a judge of a high court.<br /><br />Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Saturday expressed grief over the passing away of Sibal.<br /><br />In his condolence message, Badal described Sibal as a "legal luminary and eminent jurist". <br /><br />"This is a personal loss for me," Badal said.<br /><br />Sibal had defended noted writers Manto and Ismat Chugtai in cases of indecent writing filed against them in the pre-independence era. While the case against Manto was dismissed, Chugtai was fined Rs.90.</p>
<p>Leading lawyer Hira Lal Sibal, who had defended noted Urdu short story writer Saadat Hassan Manto in 1945, passed away here.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Sibal, the father of union minister for communications Kapil Sibal, was 98. Another of Sibal's sons, Kanwal Sibal, has served as India's foreign secretary.<br /><br />Sibal had been admitted to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here a few days back and died of problems related to advanced age Saturday morning, doctors said.<br /><br />Sibal had served as advocate general of Punjab twice and was a well known lawyer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Supreme Court.<br /><br />His legal practice spanned 67 years. He was among the few lawyers to turn down the offer of becoming a judge of a high court.<br /><br />Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Saturday expressed grief over the passing away of Sibal.<br /><br />In his condolence message, Badal described Sibal as a "legal luminary and eminent jurist". <br /><br />"This is a personal loss for me," Badal said.<br /><br />Sibal had defended noted writers Manto and Ismat Chugtai in cases of indecent writing filed against them in the pre-independence era. While the case against Manto was dismissed, Chugtai was fined Rs.90.</p>