Thread by @barandbench

Memorial for legal luminary Padma Vibhushan Soli Borabjee, former Attorney General of India.

#solisorabjee

Chief Justice of India NV Ramana shared his thoughts on the luminary.

Justice UU Lalit, Supreme Court, is now sharing his thoughts.

Justice Lalit: He loved English poetry and took interest in horse racing. He took keen interest in safeguarding the rights of the minority.
#SoliSorabjee

Justice Lalit: I was fortunate to work with Mr. Sorabjee.

Justice Lalit is recounting the time when he joined Sorabjee’s chamber.

#solisorabjee

Justice Lalit is sharing the days when he was dealing with the Union Carbide days.

Justice Lalit: He had worked very hard on this case. The issues of Right to Freedom of Speech under Art 19(1)(a) were close to his heart.

#solisorabjee

Justice Lalit: We are all aware of the towerign heights Mr. Sorabjee reached in the profession. He was a music enthusiast and champion of minority rights.

He was a multi-faceted person, full of life.

#solisorabjee

Justice Lalit: If there be such planet, and my time comes, I would be privileged to be around as his junior.

#solisorabjee

Justice UU Lalit concludes his address.

Justice DY Chandrachud, Supreme Court, begins his address.

#solisorabjee

Justice Lalit: When my time comes I want to be around the planet where Mr Sorabjee resides as his junior.
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Justice DY Chandrachud now speaks.

Recalls, in Nov 1962, a German national, Mayer Hans George boarded a flight, was accosted by Indian authorities with gold. He was convicted, appealed in High Court.

#solisorabjee

Justice Chandrachud: The appeal before the High Court was led by a 33-year-old Soli Sorabji together with Mr Abhinash Rana. The Bench of the Bench of the Bombay High Court was presided over by Justice YV Chandrachud and they set aside the conviction.

#SoliSorabjee

Justice DY Chandrachud: Mr Sorabjee's career expanded from Keshavnanda Bharthi to Coelho, to name a few. He was an abundant mimic and his mimic of Justice VD Tulzapulkar is unparalleled.

Chandrachud J.: Mr Sorabjee argued that neither he nor Rana had been able to locate the RBI notification in the library of the Bombay High Court. So least of all could you say that a Swiss national, who was a German, would have any mens rea to violate Indian law

#SoliSorabjee

Justice Chandrachud: My colleague Justice Lalit is an example of well he mentored his juniors. He was such a lawyer that a fate of a multi crore starrer could be resolved over a conference.
#solisorabjee

The Bombay High Court judgement was reversed on appeal, Justice Chandrachud recalls, "with a tremendously eloquent dissent by Justice Subbarao."

#SoliSorabjee

Justice Chandrachud: I cannot forget the call in 1998 when I was offered the position of Additional Solicitor General. when I was offered judgeship, I turned to Soli for advise
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Chandrachud J: What is very significant was, that in 1967, #SoliSorabjee argued Satwant Singh Sawhney before a Bench presided over by Chief Justice Subbarao, where the SC held that the right to travel abroad was part of the fundamental freedoms, later reiterated in Maneka Gandhi

Justice Chandrachud: When Soli moved to Delhi, he ceased to be a eminent member of bar only and became a true citizen of India.
#solisorabjee

Justice Chandrachud: Mr Sorabjee's career spanned Satwant Singh, Keshavanandha Bharathi, Maneka, Suni Batra, DC Wadhwa, Bommai and Coelho, only to mention a a few

#SoliSorabjee

Senior Adv Harish Salve: Despite our difference in age, he worked extra hard to make me a friend from being a junior. I had spent more time with him in 80s than my wife.
#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Salve: Some of the conversation about law explained he had a mind of a jurist and heart of an advocate. For him law became a way of life. One day he was arguing with Zia and held the phone, said, "damn natural justice, I have to hear her"

#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Salve: On weekends Soli used to run a mock court and this all helped his advocacy. He had a human value and used it to a great advantage in a court hearing. He would invariably try to talk to in Marathi. Those days not many people spoke Marathi in Delhi
#SoliSorabjee

Senior Adv Salve: So he could tell me anything in Marathi, our private language, especially if it was something unpleasant about the judge.
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Senior Adv Salve: His passion for freedom of speech was such that once I had appeared in Tis Hazari with Soli in a matter where injunction was sought against India Today. True element of Sorabjee was seen at the Jazz Club
#solisorabjee

Salve: In 1990s we were in Paris together for Arbitration. In summers he used to be in London, and even I was used to be in London..we used to visit Jazz clubs
#solisorabjee

read as Attorney General for India

Salve: He used to mimic Justice PN Bhagwati beautifully and the best was of HM Seervai. He was a genius in law and his understanding of federalism, basic structure is unparallel. I will miss him forever. I don't think I have worked with a more sparkling mind.

Senior Advocate S Ganesh: Soli firmly believed that a lawyers arsenal had nothing but words. He believed that If these words are carefully used then even if an argument is not intrinsically strong, it can make an impact.
#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Gopal Subramanium: Soli Sorabjee will always be recognised as the greatest Indian lawyer since the second world war. He occupies the hall of fame with Cornelia Sorabjee and Richard.
#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Subramanium: He stressed on individual rights even in the face of changing nature of Indian Constitution. Soli had intuitively assessed me and had asked me to join his chambers. He treated his staff as his family

Senior Adv Subramanium: He was untouched by jealousy and never spoke once rudely. He was a good mimic but without disparagement.
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Senior Adv Subramanium: It was privileged to watch his torrential downpour of arguments. Whatever I am is a product of Soli's unwavering love and care.

Senior Adv Subramanium: Soli knew the power of truth and justice.
#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Gopal Subramanium: Soli like an august comte was a believer in human kind. Soli I will miss your physical presence but I will not forget you. I will be like you to quickly hide my tear. Soli will always live on..
#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Arvind Datar: Apart from being an outstanding lawyer, he was also a brilliant academic. In 1984 I had seen him argue a case and I realised the importance of advocacy.
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Datar: In the field of indirect taxes, he has made a significant contribution in the aread of excise. He had asked me to co author courtroom genius with him and that made me meet people like Justice YV Chandrachud and others
#solisorabjee

Datar: He took India to several international symposiums, conferences and seminars. For a senior lawyer the legacy he creates are the juniors. He created a new generation of outstanding lawyers.
#solisorabjee

Senior Adv Datar: If we have a hall of fame for lawyers, Mr Sorabjee will be at the top of it. If we live upto his method of advocacy, then it will be a tribute to Mr Sorabjee

Zia Mody: I never did a lot of matters with my father. But he was always interested in my opening my mouth and what I argued. Today I realise that he indeed create a tribe of lawyers and may this tribe only increase

Zia Mody: When the book 'ten judgments which changed India' was published, he called me and said where is SR Bommai judgment. I had to tell him that he had crossed it off. When I showed him emails, he said he mustn't be thinking that day.
#solisorabjee

Memorial ends.