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Tales from the Bench
and the Bar
Humour emanating from professional and situational scenarios is always something unique in its character and form, for it unwittingly endeavours to spruce and spice up, the serious business of the mundane and monotonous transactions, involved in the task of carrying out business. We hear jokes about Army, police, politicians, races, castes, eccentricities in man and incongruities of life. Even in the court’s business, wit and humour abound in ample measures. Invariably, the characters that play the humorous, satirical, ironical and witty roles become very lively and lovable enough to bring a smile on the dullest, wooden faces around. Of course, the basic requirement of being fun-loving and liking humour is to enjoy situations in their most gross-free forms, even if it devolves to laughing at oneself. Taraporevala gives us copious theatrics involved not only in the court work but the basic business of administration of justice, with the protagonists involved in all the legal spheres. The book has a unique blend of references to very high ranking historical luminaries in the business of seeking and delivering justice. Taraporevala has a wide variety and range of speaking about humour in courts, in chambers, in judges’ bunglaows, in opportunities missed, in the game of chance and destiny, in the art of cross examination, in the love-hate characteristics of colleagues and peers, in the paying capacity of the litigants, and so forth. Soli J. Sorabjee, former Attorney-General of India, while writing the foreword of the book says, "Taraporevala deserves full marks for his tremendous research and industriousness in comprehensively collecting incidents and events—ancient and contemporary—in a single volume which one can dip into in a relaxed mood and savour its delights." This reviewer couldn’t agree more with Sorabjee. He cites an instance from the book when Lord Denning who slouched in his chair during the proceedings and missed a book thrown at him saying, "Thank God, I am not an upright judge." Some samples should be relevant to recall here: To a pious judge’s mannerism in repeating, "I ask myself this question," the losing lawyer muttered, "Could not have asked of a greater fool." A lawyer who was addressing for long, showed a watch as an exhibit, saying, "About this clock, I must tell Your Lordship`85" When the judge quipped, "No, no just tell me what time is it!" Hone Banaji used to prepare his brief in two columns, "What we say" for his clients, and "What do they say" for opponents. He was repeatedly interrupted by a raw lady junior when he said, "Boys, add a third column, ‘What does she say!’" Sir Dinshaw Mulla, when told by a junior that he could not prepare the brief since there was no cause of action, shouted, "What? This young solicitor has to live, I have to live, the judges have to live `85 and you can find no cause of action?" "How long have you been a widower?" Justice Darling once told a witness who insisted, "I have always been wedded to truth." Purcell, widely known for defending the pickpockets, had his pocket picked once, when one of his clients who knew the culprit told him, that the latter should have known their governor. The heroes of Taraporevala’s tales include veterans like C. K. Daphtari, Moti Lal Setalvad, Rustam Kolah, Kannayha Lal Munshi, Justice Chhagla, Jamshed Kanga, Justice Tendolkar, Hotchand Advani, Chimanlal Setalvad, Natwar Gandhi, Bhulabhai Desai, Nusserwani, Palkhiwala et al, besides the English judges and lawyers like Lord Macmillan, Justice Cockburn, Justice Darling, Scarlett, Purcell, E.T. Candy, Antesy, and so on. Some of the Parsee and English judges and lawyers add charm to reading for their funny sounding names. Taraporevala talks abundantly of nostalgic indulgences by government and court lawyers and some of the fearless and courageous legal luminaries like Feroze Shah Mehta, besides a hoard others including the Britishers who have been historically known to have carved niches for themselves in the world of administration of justice with aplomb.
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THE
present compilation by octogenarian advocate of Bombay High Court Vicaji
J. Taraporevala is a treasure house of wit, humour and repartee,
tickling funny bone material, sizzling satire and naughty commentary on
the otherwise perceived dull ambience in the courts of law. The drabness
of the transactions in courts has in this handy volume been projected as
enlivened, to be experienced with a punch of honest to the core
quibbling; sometimes by the judges and at others, the lawyers; sometimes
by the litigants and at others, the accused.