Andrew Deoki

Andrew Indar Narayan Deoki OBE (1917 – 12 June 1985) was an Indo-Fijian statesman who served his community as a social and religious leader, soccer administrator, member of the Legislative Council and Senate in independent Fiji and as Attorney General.

Born in Suva, the son of prominent community leader Nandan Sen Deoki,[1] Deoki attended the University of Auckland and spent seven years in New Zealand qualifying as a lawyer before returning to Fiji in 1941,[2][3] going on to become a solicitor and barrister,[1] earning admittance to the bar and Supreme Court of New Zealand, Victoria and Queensland.

However, A. D. Patel objected to this, stating that “Deoki was uncooperative with him and his group” and threatened to resign as Member for Social Services.

The Governor stated that the Federation group did not represent all Indian political opinion in Fiji and accepted Deoki's proposal that all 18 unofficial members of the Legislative Council attend.

Determined to defeat Deoki in the 1966 elections, the first to be held by universal suffrage, Patel and the Federation Party nominated Irene Jai Narayan, a teacher.

[6] He returned to Fiji in 1979 when he was appointed Attorney General and was nominated to the Senate by Prime Minister Kamisese Mara.