Due to the bifurcation, the lawyers have got scattered – RK Wadhwa, President of Patiala House Bar Association

In this interview, Patiala House Bar Association President RK Wadhwa talks about his professional life, his opinion about the 5 year law course, his experience of being a criminal lawyer while being a bar association President, and the problems faced by lawyers due to the bifurcation of the Delhi district courts..Bar & Bench: Can you tell us about your early years? Where were you born? Where did you grow up?.RK Wadhwa: I was born in Delhi itself. I was educated here. I did my schooling from KVS Delhi Cant. Then, I pursued law from Delhi University..B&B: What prompted you to choose law as a career? .RKW: I have been practicing law since 1985. Law, as a course, was not my first choice. I was a science student. I was active in politics during my university days; hence I could not get through medical. That is why I chose this subject. I do not come from a family of lawyers..B&B: Can you tell us a bit about your early days?.RKW: I worked as a junior lawyer for a maximum of 2 months. The good thing was that my seniors were very good and friendly to me. Even today, I maintain good relations with them in the Patiala House Court and the Delhi High Court. There are always challenges for a junior lawyer. When you are new to the profession, you have a limited number of cases. At the same time you need money to support your family. When I joined this profession, I got married at the same time. It was a struggle..B&B: In your opinion, how is the legal education of today different?.RKW: I can recall that when I did law it was a 3 years course. At that time, we used to do it after graduation. But now it is good! The students get education through the 5 year course. The whole system is into law. So, they are well trained and their grooming is good. They are being prepared to face challenges..B&B: How should the appointment of judges be carried out?.RKW: There should be fixed criteria. It should not be on a ‘pick and choose’ basis. There should be no political interference. The person who deserves it, the person who is meritorious should be appointed as a judge. There should be seniority according to merit. A senior who is not meritorious should not be elevated as judge..B&B: Do you think judges should be evaluated by the number of judgments they have made over the years?.RKW: Not at all. The quality of the judgment should be the criteria..B&B: Justice AP Shah has come out with a report sometime back ecommending that the CJI should have a fixed tenure. .RKW: I think that every judge should have a fixed tenure whether it is CJI or a common Judge. The reason is that when a person becomes a Chief Justice, after a few months he is told “Ok! Goodbye!” Now, if a person knows that he is there for a particular period, then he will have the determination to do some work for a particular period. On the other hand, if a person knows that he is there for only 2-3 months, what will he do?.B&B: What is the one big challenge that you face as a criminal lawyer?.RKW: The basic thing for any criminal lawyer is to make your defense at the very first occasion. If you draw your lines properly, you will have the clarity in mind as to what exactly are you going to achieve in the case. That is the most challenging thing for any criminal lawyer..B&B: What were some of the difficulties you faced during your career?.RKW: When we started here in Patiala House Court, all the decisions were taken here only. Now, they have been bifurcated. One has gone to Saket and the other has gone to Dwarka. For any lawyer, it is almost impossible to go and attend every court in the morning. There is another problem relating to chambers. Also, at times, the judges do not accommodate us. For example, you are going to Rohini Court and from Rohini Court you have to come to Saket Court, then you may ask the judge to accommodate as the lawyer may be on the way. Till then, the judge may or may not wait. Due to the bifurcation, the lawyers have got scattered. Earlier, we used to have a common platform here in Patiala House..B&B: How many members do you have in the Patiala Bar Association?.RKW: We have about 6,000-7,000 members in the Bar association..B&B: What qualities do you think that an ideal lawyer should have? .RKW: He should be patient. He should understand the problems of his clients. He needs to be a good orator. He should be honest as well..B&B: Can you tell us what positions you have held over the years?.RKW: In the year 1992, I became Additional Secretary of the Bar. In 2002, I was made the General Secretary of the Patiala House Bar. In 2008, I was chosen again for the same rank. Now, I am the President. Over the years, I have realized that people have faith in me. So, they expect something from me and my job is to carry out what they require..B&B: Any message you would like to convey to the law students?.RKW: Law students should start devoting their time in courts while they pursue their studies. If after completing their law course of 5 years, they come and join courts, then it is not easy for them as compared to if they start coming to court from the first year of their law course itself. They can come as an intern. They can work with a lawyer. They can watch and learn from them. They can observe the manner in which the lawyers and judges behave in the court rooms. They should work hard and start going to courts regularly. If they intend to learn things relating to the corporate field, they should join law firms. The scope is really wide!