LITIGANTS, LAWYERS AND JUDGES continues...

My new house was spacious and had extensive lawns and a vegetable garden. It had been built prior to the Mutiny and was in a dilapidated condition. With the joint efforts of the landlord and myself, we renovated it a good deal. It was in the spacious lawns of this house that I gave a grand party in honour of the bride and the bridegroom, preceded by a lunch which was attended by about 1500 persons.

An important case in which I was retained during this year related to the guardianship of the two sons and a daughter of Rai Bahadur Banarsi Dass, a big landlord and factory owner of Ambala who had died without legitimate issue. He had sons from a Tarkhan (carpenter) woman whom he had kept in his house. By his will he had appointed Mr. Carmichael, his factory manager and a very conscientious and upright Englishman as their guardian. An application for their guardianship was made in the High Court of Lahore before a single judge. This application was opposed by the mother. The main question was whether a father who had left considerable property to his illegitimate children could, by his testament, appoint a guardian during their minority. The mother claimed that according to Hindu Law she was the rightful guardian of her illegitimate children. This contention prevailed and was upheld even in appeal.

A keen contest for the election of a member of the syndicate of the Punjab University by the faculty of Law seemed to be brewing. R. B. Durga Dass was the sitting member but my friend Mr. Jagan Nath Aggarwal was keen to displace him. As he did not want either of the two contestants to get elected, Sir Douglas Young suggested that I should contest the election. He wrote to me: “Do you wish to contest as a member for the Syndicate representing law? Election is tomorrow.

to be continued...

( This account is maintained by Har Anand Publication)