Constitutional Adviser to Bikaner continues....

I replied to him that my arrangement for the time being existed up to the expiry of my leave of 8 months from the East Panjab High Court, i. e. up to June 1948. On the 24th April 1948 he wrote to me as under:

“I realise your difficulty in making up your mind whether you should stay in Bikaner. The terms mentioned by you are certainly attractive as the salary is going to be free of tax, I am afraid you are not likely to get those terms anywhere in service in India. Even I do not get that salary in Delhi. On the other hand, the prospects of the State remaining completely independent do not appear very rosy as the tendency to get amalgamated and to form unions is very apparent everywhere.

The prospects of the judges of the High Court and the Federal court are uncertain as the new Constitution is not likely to be passed according to the latest newspaper reports up to the end of August. I am, therefore, unable to advise you as to how you shall stand in the matter of pay etc. after June. I shall require more judges for the Federal Court but in view of the uncertainty of the terms I am unable to broach this subject to any person.

“The first question I shall be asked will be what are the terms on which the Federal Court Judges will work. At present my answer can only be, look at the Constitution and the existing terms. I can say nothing more.”

My old friend, Rai Bahadur Ishar Dass Sahni, hearing about my coming to Bikaner wrote as under:

“As my advice to you to accept premiership in Kashmir has not been much useful, I do not know what to say about your joining Bikaner. Perhaps in the changed conditions of the States, it might be the best thing to revert to the High Court

To be continued....