On Retirement
“Grandpa, yesterday I heard you telling someone on the phone that you are going to hang up your black coat and gown on 4/4/2010. Are you going to order a new set?” asked grandson Dhruva.
“No son, I am not ordering a new set, but planning to dump the set along with my profession after completing 50 years as a lawyer.”
“I thought that lawyers and medical doctors never retire because they have to earn their daily wags like the odd job doing labourers. “
“Son, I didn’t want to be employed by anyone. When I joined the Madras Christian College School in Linghi Chetty street 1n 1946, the mighty High court buildings attracted me and a classmate Sankaranarayanan’s father P. Govinda Menon was the Public Prosecutor. He later became a judge of the High Court and later, the Supreme Court. There can’t be a more independent position in life than that of a judge or so I thought. Well, when there was no other opening, I took to law as a duck to water and half a century later I am ready to stretch my legs and enjoy a holiday that will never end voluntarily.“
“Grandpa why didn’t you take the four armed gown?”
“You mean the Senior Advocate gown. In the good old days before High Court judges, including the Chief justices were not transferred like Police constables from one corrupt station to another, the judges get a chance to assess the character and integrity and the professional acumen of the lawyers appearing before them and it as easier for them to form an opinion that so-and-so should belong to a higher class than the money-minded lesser fry of the common clay and the Advocates Act gave then special treatment by calling them ‘Senior Advocate’, so that the small fry could engage them for the battles. Now transfer of judges being the rule, the two-way assessment is almost nil, and all and sundry by “Applying” for senior-ship are waved in as Seniors by the full conglomerate of the judges and chaps who will be light years away from the fictional seniority, lead the ignorant coffle, which entails arrears running to several crore. Sorry son, I never appreciated this dichotomy and if some chief had called me for my bio data I would have said, “No thanks Chief”. Now son, if you had joined the Law course, instead of the Architecture course, you could have inherited my law library, which, even if you don’t use it, would impress the unwary client into loosening his purse strings making you Senior material.“
“Grandpa, what gave you the greatest satisfaction in your profession in the nearly 50 years in it?”
“The feeling that I am fortunate to be in the machinery of justice. When I was government pleader, a Writ Appeal came up for admission before Chief Justice Nainarsundaram and Justice Somasundaram, the appellant’s lawyer - a lady - was finding it difficult. I found a point in her favour and uninvited by the Bench, I got up and told the Bench that there is a precedent in her favour. The Chief asked me ‘Sadanand, for whom are you appearing?’ I told him, “When I stand up, I forget for whom I am appearing. Justice takes no sides’. The lady lawyer got the appeal admitted.”
“The government was persuaded by crooks, to get rid of a non-liar as its G. P. You know the rest of the story son. I didn’t mortgage my soul to
make a living. 76 plus, is a good innings in any profession except politics, where the ceiling is 100. What’s your choice son?”
