Practising Law at Gurdaspur continues...


I gave a big lunch to the whole of the Gurdaspur Bar and officials at this place. One winter morning we travelled from. Gurdaspur, went to Chakki on foot and came to the site of the orchard. There was no building or structure there. The shade of a big mango tree provided the only shelter from the sun. In the open field food was cooked. We bathed in the open, drank sugarcane juice and took food of all varieties and returned in the evening to Gurdaspur.

I made my first public speech in a meeting organised by the Deputy Commissioner in a war Darbar, asking people to help in war work. I argued my case for help in war effort on national grounds. This was much appreciated. Subsequently I was in great demand for such functions.

Two sensational and interesting cases which I handled at that time may also be mentioned here. I once appeared before an honorary magistrate in Kalanaur, a more or less illiterate person but a fine gentleman otherwise. It was a criminal case and I was being opposed by Sheikh Chiragh Din. The magistrate knew no English whatsoever and Chiragh Din knew the fact. To impress the magistrate he cited about 100 English cases before him from various law reports, all irrelevant to the issue before the court. I was a youngster and Chiragh Din thought he would outsmart me in this way. When my turn came I started citing Privy Council decisions in which, I said, all the decisions cited by Chiragh Din had been overruled. It was all, a hoax. I did not know anyone of those cases and had never read them. Just as Chiragh Din had cited—at random I did the same. The Magistrate got perplexed and postponed the case. I never appeared again before him.

The other was a mosque case. There was great Hindu-Muslim tension in Dorangla about it. There was a small piece of land in Dorangla belonging to Jat Sikhs.

to be continued...

( This account is maintained by Har Anand Publications)