Bokhary

Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal 177 cases

Also recorded in judgments as: Court: Mr Justice Bokhary; Litton PJ Mr Justice Bokhary.

Bokhary has 177 reported Hong Kong decisions (1997–2026) in the HKCFA.

About Bokhary

Bokhary has 177 reported Hong Kong decisions (1997–2026). These were decided across HKCFA (177). By subject matter, the largest shares are Rules of the High Court (7), High Court Ordinance (3) and Basic Law (2). Of these, 177 sitting on the coram.

Source: derived from 177 published Hong Kong judgments, most recent decision 9 June 2026. Published on HKLII.

On the judicial record

Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary (包致金) serves as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, having previously sat as one of the court's three original Permanent Judges from its inception in 1997 until reaching the mandatory retirement age in October 2012. He was called to the Bar in 1970 and to the Hong Kong Bar the following year, was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983, became a Justice of the Peace the following year, and was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1989, before his elevation to the Court of Final Appeal upon the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from Britain to the People's Republic of China.

As a non-permanent judge, Bokhary continues to sit on Court of Final Appeal panels, presiding over appeals spanning criminal law, judicial review and immigration, and land and property, among other areas. Reported matters include CHINA PROPERTIES GROUP LIMITED V. JIC TRUST CO., LTD [2026] HKCFA 21, SAMANTHA JANE BRADLEY V. SIR ELLY KADOORIE & SONS LIMITED (FOR AND ON BEHALF OF ITSELF, ITS CURRENT AND FORMER OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS, INCLUDING ITS LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES, MESSRS SIMMONS & SIMMONS) [2026] HKCFA 10, HKSAR V. HUANG RUIFANG (黃瑞芳) [2025] HKCFA 15, and UBS AG V. CHINA METAL RECYCLING (HOLDINGS) LIMITED (IN LIQUIDATION) AND ANOTHER [2023] HKCFA 29.

Biography

Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary (Chinese: 包致金; Cantonese Yale: Bāau Jigām; born 25 October 1947) is a judge in Hong Kong. He was one of three Permanent Judges of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal from its inception in 1997 until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in October 2012; afterwards, he remained on the bench as a non-permanent judge.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Career Highlights

• He went on to establish a successful legal practice in Hong Kong and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983.
• The following year, he also became a Justice of the Peace.
• In 1989, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court.
• In 1997, upon the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to the People's Republic of China, Bokhary was appointed a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong.

Education

• holds the record for the number of dissenting opinions he has written
• Bar in 1970 and to the Hong Kong Bar the following year

177

Total cases

Delivered

177

Sat on (coram)

Court

How many cases has Bokhary decided?

Bokhary has 177 reported Hong Kong decisions (1997–2026).

Which courts does Bokhary sit in?

Bokhary sits in HKCFA (177).

What court does Bokhary sit on?

Bokhary sits as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong's highest appellate court, after earlier service as one of its three original Permanent Judges from the court's establishment in 1997 until his mandatory retirement in October 2012.

What kinds of matters has Bokhary presided over at the Court of Final Appeal?

Bokhary has presided over Court of Final Appeal matters spanning criminal law, judicial review and immigration, and land and property, including CHINA PROPERTIES GROUP LIMITED V. JIC TRUST CO., LTD [2026] HKCFA 21, among appeals reported between 1997 and 2026.

When was Bokhary appointed to the Hong Kong judiciary?

Bokhary was appointed a Judge of the High Court in 1989, appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983, and became a Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal in 1997 upon the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to the People's Republic of China.