"He was my mentor, accepted judgeship on his advice:" Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud recounts his memories about Soli Sorabjee

Supreme Court judge, Justice DY Chandrachud said on Sunday the eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee was his mentor on whose advice he accepted the offer to be a judge of the Bombay High Court way back in 1998.

. The Supreme Court judge said that it was a decision which he never regretted even once.

. "When I was asked to be a judge (of Bombay High Court) in 1998, I turned to Soli for advice. Soli said 'you have to answer the call of service'. I accepted that advice of my mentor and I have never regretted it even for a day," said Justice Chandrachud.

. He was speaking at a memorial organised in remembrance of Sorabjee who passed away from COVID-19 on April 30.

. "For me, he was a mentor truly. I can never forget the call in the middle of 1998 when he called me to ask whether I would be willing to accept the position of Additional Solicitor General which of course I accepted with a great amount of gratitude," Justice Chandrachud said.

. Justice Chandrachud went on to state that Soli Sorabjee represented the voice of moral authority, of a defender of personal liberty, of human liberty both within and outside the court, of a fearless crusader for human freedom.

"His columns in various newspapers bear testimony to this crusade," the Supreme Court judge said.

. Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana and Supreme Court judge, UU Lalit and Senior advocates Harish Salve, Gopal Subramanium, S Ganesh and Arvind Datar also spoke about the senior jurist.

. "Mr. Sorabjee excelled in all branches of law. You name it and he dealt with leading cases in that branch. One case which needs specific mention is the review petition in Union Carbide case in which he had put in lot of efforts. But one area which was very dear to him was freedom of expression, free press and Article 19(1)(a). That was one fortress he always zealously guarded and would put in all his energies in keeping all obstructions at bay. He was the best guardian of that fortress," said Justice UU Lalit who was Sorabjee's junior for 5 years.

Justice Lalit said that issues concerning Article 19(1)(a) were very dear to Sorabjee and large number of his articles and write ups were on that subject.

"His love and passion for this branch of law was ongoing and ever evolving. He was also a champion of rights of minorities and a human rights activist," Justice Lalit added.

.Soli Sorabjee. CJI Ramana said that Sorabjee was a man with unflinching faith in Constitutional ideals, particularly those relating to the freedom of speech and human rights.

"He was a defender of civil liberties in the emergency era. He played a crucial role in some of the most iconic cases which have defined the legal landscape of this great nation. He assisted the great Nani Palkhivala in Golaknath and Kesavananda Bharati cases," CJI Ramana said.

He lamented that with Sorabjee's death, the country lost a great soul.

"The true tribute to Sorabjee would be to continue to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms that are essential for human existence in a civilised society," the CJI said.

. Sorabjee, who was born in 1930, enrolled at the bar in 1953. He was designated Senior Advocate by the Bombay High Court in 1971.

He was in legal profession for nearly seven decades and also served as the Attorney General for India twice - first from 1989-90 and second from 1998 to 2004 during the tenure of the first NDA government.

He was also the Solicitor General of India from 1977-80, the first non-Congress government at the Centre.

He appeared in number of landmark cases including Kesavananda Bharati, SR Bommai and Maneka Gandhi.

He was honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 2002.

"He was my mentor, accepted judgeship on his advice:" Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud recounts his memories about Soli Sorabjee

Bar & Bench

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