14 Lawyers – Portraits From Bar By Raju Ramachandran: A Book Review

I first learnt of Senior Counsel and former ASG Raju Ramachandran's intent to write pen-portraits of lawyers he admired on the hot summer morning on which the annual SCBA Elections were held in May 2025. Both he and I - early voters were waiting in line for the process to begin and were chatting. And ever since, I have been eagerly waiting to read his book titled 14 Lawyers – Portraits from the Bar. The book comprising of pen portraits of distinguished lawyers is an excellent read. An institution like the Supreme Court is not defined by the mortar and bricks that make up its fine architecture. It is defined by the women and men who make the institution and the history of our Supreme Court. Raju Ramachandran has identified 14 Lawyers, of whom little is documented, and written about their role in building the institution. In his preface, describing his choice, he writes:“They may not have enjoyed the eminence of the marketplace, and they are unlikely to figure in lists of 'top lawyers' polled by glossy magazines. But their life stories have inspired me, and I am sure my contemporaries will remember them. There are at least two full generations who have joined the Bar and the Bench after I have, and I want them to know about my heroes.”What makes this written recording of history interesting is the fact that the author himself was closely associated with the protagonists, bringing in a personal touch quite unlike the impersonal biographical accounts entirely based on research from material available in the archives of libraries. It is a product of his attending hearings in the Supreme Court from his days in law school and thereafter joining the Bar during the period of the Emergency.Barry Sen has written his memoirs (which are now out of print) which detail his many accomplishments but the fact that Sen was a “gentlemen counsel” can only be expressed by a person who has closely watched him like the author. And it is certainly no surprise that “an about-to-become Chief Justice” had not much of an idea of Barry Sen's life. Notably, Sen remains the youngest to be designated senior at the age of 31! About Frank Anthony I knew little even though I studied through till Class X in a Frank Anthony School. The undisputed leader of the Anglo-Indian community for over four decades, the author has enlisted the many contributions of Frank Anthony in public life, as an educationist and in the Courts in matters not just involving minority right, but also public law.R.K. Garg is certainly a name that is commonly known in the corridors of the Court, because of the chamber block and the library on the third floor where one can read one's briefs in peace and quiet. Garg was quite to the contrary of the peace and quiet and a vociferous voice. The younger Supreme Court Bar knows little about the fiery Garg and his contributions something that the author has recounted in good detail. Garg was mistreated by his erstwhile party the CPI - even at his death with a refusal to place wreath on the body a lifelong comrade! Almost like the indomitable Somnath Chatterjee was treated with an expulsion when he refused to resign as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 2008. He was broken in the evening of his life. Somnath Chatterjee's family refused to allow the CPM to place their flag on his body. It's no surprise that the author had a personal connect with Garg for before they had their differences (as noted by the author) Garg and M.K. Ramamurthi (the author's senior and uncle) took up causes for the proletariat together. This brings us to M.K. Ramamurthi a lawyer of whom so little is known today. An advocate for David in every cause against Goliath. Principled as he was, Ramamurthi never took up briefs for the management and did not put Judges on a divine pedestal. He too was a vociferous voice for the labour movement. The author describes them as “acolytes” of the indomitable “the unrepentant communist” A.S.R. Chari - himself a great criminal and labour lawyer. The contribution of Garg and Ramamurthi in the development of labour jurisprudence in India is not celebrated as much as it ought to. There is a sense of honesty with which the author writes about the relationship between Ramamurthi and Shyamala Pappu (his other senior) a topic which many would rather speak of in hushed tones (or more likely in a gossipy manner) but this is not how he defines the personality and nature of Shyamala Pappu. In fact, the Ramamurthi-Shyamala equation is put in a matter-of-fact manner before discussing the remarkable achievements of Shyamala Pappu as a counsel before the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court something to which many are oblivious to.The civil liberties movement in India was pioneered by several lawyers of whom Tarkunde, Gobinda Mukhoty are relics in the law reports but the lives around the practice of law has little recording - a gap that the author has filled. Tarkunde lived by principles, and his remarkable life was not any different -...

14 Lawyers – Portraits From Bar By Raju Ramachandran: A Book Review

Amit Pai

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Amit Pai

14 Lawyers – Portraits From Bar By Raju Ramachandran: A Book Review

Amit Pai

This is a premium content Available exclusively to Our subscribers

INR 1099+GST

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Amit Pai

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