THE NATIONAL
LAWYERS’ CAMPAIGN FOR
304, Hari Chambers, 3rd Floor, 54/68 SBS
Marg, Near Lion Gate, Fort Mumbai- 400 023
Cell # +91 98205 35428 , 022 22626634
Mathews J. NedumparaPresident
Mrs. Rohini M. Amin
Vice President
Mumbai
Ms. Sophia Pinto
Vice President,Bangalore
K. Lingaraja
Vice President, Delhi
A. C.
Philip
Vice president,
Cochin
Navaneetha
Krishnan
General Secretary
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE Hon'ble
Chief Justice OF India TO BRING AN END TO THE LITERAL APARTHEID IN Court ROOMS
July 28, 2015
To
The
Hon'ble Chief Justice of India,
Supreme
Court of India,
New
Delhi.
Also
to:
The
Hon'ble Judges of the Supreme Court,
Supreme
Court of India,
New
Delhi.
The
Senior Lawyers,
Supreme
Court of India,
New
Delhi.
The
Advocates on Record,
Supreme
Court of India,
New
Delhi.
Members
of the Legal Fraternity.
Respected
Lordships/Sirs,
1. Ours is a campaign of ordinary lawyers hailing
from humble background, sons and daughters of farmers, small time traders, taxi
drivers, teachers etc., who constitute to be 90% of the legal fraternity, for
equal treatment in Court Rooms, which is an implicit mandate of Article 14 of
the Constitution of India, namely, equality before law and equal protection of
law; so too the very ethos of the preamble to the Constitution which finds the
words “Equality of status and of opportunity”
engraved therein.
2. Mahatma Gandhi, the great soul who fought against
apartheid in South Africa and demanded equal treatment of all human beings is
the everlasting light and guidance; so too the legendary Justice Krishna Iyer, in our campaign for just, fair and equal
treatment of all lawyers, nay, the litigants, as well, in the Temples of
Justice. While Mahatma Gandhi advocated
that a language of protest should most non-violent, non-hurting, the great
apostle of peace, Jesus Christ, we believe, minced no words. The words of Jesus Christ “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out
of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of
thy brother's eye” too is an inspiration in drawing up this letter. The language, therefore, we employ is of
utmost respect and non-violent, but at the same time should in unmistakable
terms carry the message, as well.
3.
The system of
designation of lawyers as seniors and juniors and the manifestation thereof in
their dress code has literally created a system of apartheid of two classes of
lawyers, an upper caste and a lower caste – the designated royal class and the
non-designated untouchables. There is a
simmering anger, protest, against this among the untouchable class of lawyers
who constitute to be 90% of the legal fraternity. If their demand for equal treatment and their
feelings and emotions are not taken care of and if they are suppressed and not
allowed to open their mouth, then the simmering anger will turn out to be a
tempest. We are reminded the words of
legendary Justice Krishna Iyer, ''One day the people of this country will rise
and say that we don't want this magnificent red stone edifice on the Curzon
Road (now Bhagwan Das Road) because it is seen to be counterproductive and in
turn the High Courts".
4.
We part with in the
unstinted belief that the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, the Hon'ble Judges of
the Supreme Court and the senior lawyers, whom all we respect, nay, literally
worship for their erudition, knowledge and eminence, will take this letter in
its right spirit and if we have violated Mahatma Gandhi’s command of employing
the most respectful, dignified and non-violent language, we may be condoned,
and, at the same time, come forward to bring an end to the caste system, nay,
the apartheid, among lawyers.
With most respectful
regards,Yours sincerely,
(Mathews J. Nedumpara)President
P.S. This letter will not be complete without the
instant post script. We, the campaigners,
lawyers of little significance in the current casteism in the legal profession,
have made an exhaustive research as to the manner of designation of lawyers as
Senior Advocates. There is not a single
lawyer in this country he being a son of a former Judge of the Supreme Court or
High Court or a big lawyer; so too big political leaders who has crossed the age of 45 years, yet being neither
designated as a senior counsel nor elevated as a Judge of the High Court. The data collected by us remind us the words
of George Orwell: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than
others.”
All the Best
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