Attorney Israel Khan SC admires one of the new street signs renamed in his honour at Monte Grande, Tunapuna on October 3. - ROGER JACOB
In recognition of his over four-decades as a lawyer, two streets in the Tunapuna district where he grew up have been renamed in honour of criminal defence attorney Israel Khan SC.
The unveiling ceremony took place on October 3 and was witnessed by some residents who had petitioned the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation for the name change.
Speaking at the event, local government councillor for the electoral district of Curepe/Pasea JLynn Roopnarine said the decision to rename Deenah Street to Israel B Khan Street and Ganga Street to Israel B Khan Extension, was meant to honour his parents, Khan and the villagers who were proud of his achievements.
"It's inspiring to see a man who wears many caps to have this recognition for his many years of service. He is one of the most experienced active advocates of the criminal bar of TT," Roopnarine said.
She said the application to rename the streets was approved by the corporation's Street Naming Committee and lauded Khan's "hard work, passion, and dedication" in the legal profession as deserving of "every bit of recognition and appreciation for your outstanding service to our country."
Speaking at luncheon at Wings Restaurant after the ceremony, childhood friend Ragoonath Chaboo said he known Khan for over 70 years and described him as "an independent, kind-hearted and generous man."
Chaboo said he was a councillor when Khan served as an alderman at the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation. He recalled Khan was he was helpful to the residents of Deenah and Ganga Streets during his tenure.
In an interview with Newsday in June, Khan said he was humbled by the gesture.
He said his parents, now deceased, would have been elated and proud.
“I have very fond memories of growing up in that area.
“I could vividly recall living in a cramped wooden two-room house with four siblings, two grandmothers and my father and mother.
Eight people in this little abode, with an outside dirt kitchen with a thatched roof and a latrine pit. No running water and electricity.
“But in my ignorance, we were happy.”
Khan has been in private practice for 43 years. He was once aligned with the National Alliance for Reconstruction, but resigned from the party in 1992. He has been a tutor at the Hugh Wooding Law School for the past 36 years and was recently added to the list of advocates of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, Netherlands.
In 2023, the Opposition nominated him for election as the country’s seventh president by the electoral college of the Parliament but the Government’s nominee, former senate president Christine Kangaloo, was approved.
