Chapter 6
MY FIRST BRIEF

He was certainly willing to do any work he was asked to do without hesitation. He was an excellent cook, quite a good lawyer’s clerk in settling fees with clients and keeping their confidence once they came to the office. In an emergency, he was prepared to clean the utensils and carry the bedding. It is difficult to describe my pleasure on getting such a handsome amount of fee—that too in the year 1912—just after passing my LL.B. examination. Father had assured the clients that his young son would deal with the case to their entire satisfaction and fight for them more stoutly than he would have done himself. The clients had come to engage my father and wanted to take him to village Rae in Nurpur Tehsil where the trying magistrate, Mr. Ross, was camping and doing court work, as well as fishing in the Beas river. The clients had so much confidence in my father’s word that without hesitation they engaged me. I studied the brief with a zeal that almost bordered on fanaticism. I memorised every fact by heart. I inspected the court record, talked to the clients to find out the true facts of the case, and also studied the law involved in the case. I came to the conclusion that the case hinged on the cross-examination of witnesses and breaking down the prosecution version, but not on any legal points.

In order to get to the court of Mr. Ross at village Rae in those days, one had to do a cross-country race. Accompanied by the Munshi and a servant I started from our Bhadwar house, I on a pony and my Munshi on a mule which carried our beddings as well. Up to Nurpur the road was good, but thereafter it degenerated into a stony track on the river bed, By nightfall we reached a village which boasted of a Mahant (head of a religious endowment). He knew my father well and I had also met him occasionally. He received us affectionately and gave us an excellent meal. We spent the night at his residence.

to be continued....