INDIA: Bar association felicitates city's longest-practising lawyer

. PUNE, Maharashtra / The Times of India / July 10, 2009 "The lawyers practising in the olden days studied hard, did not go after money and were dedicated," said lawyer Shivram Abhyankar on Thursday. Abhyankar, Pune's and probably the country's longest-practising lawyer, who turned 99 on Thursday was felicitated by the principal district and sessions judge Vijay Achliya at the Ashoka hall of the district and sessions court. The event was organised by the Pune Bar Association (PBA). Abhyankar spoke for a minute from a chair said that the lawyers of his time were so dutiful that they used to pursue the cases to its logical end. He suggested that lawyers should be honest with their clients and that they should not harass them for money. "I have lived a happy life for so many years with a kind of principle. I have not done anything extraordinary in life, but I have served the society with full devotion," he added. Judge Achliya advised the lawyers to take necessary steps for protecting their image so that there is no degradation caused to the profession. Among the others who spoke on the occasion include PBA president Ram Patole, vice president Shekar Jagtap, secretary Kishore Patil, lawyer K.R. Shaha and others. "I am proud of my father and his achievements. He has sincerely handled his clients and he fought several cases free of cost if the litigant was poor. He felt that the client who had a good case should not suffer if he is not in a position to engage the services of a lawyer," said Abhyanar's son Ravindra after the function. [rc] Copyright © 2009 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. Earlier Report A long, untiring innings in court and outside it too PUNE, Maharashtra / The Times of India / July 9, 2009 By Asseem Shaikh, Times News Network The wag who said, "Old lawyers never die, they just lose their appeal", would have second thoughts were he to meet Shivram Abhyankar. This counsel presently has 15 cases in hand, which on the face of it doesn't seem to be a very tall order. But not until you learn that Abhyankar will be just a year shy of his 100th birthday on Thursday and that he started his career as a junior lawyer in the Pune district and sessions court way back in 1935! Abhyankar is Pune's, and probably the country's, longest practising lawyer. He stopped accepting new cases only two years ago, more because of a hearing problem than his advanced age. In fact, not many in the courts believe his age because he still maintains a brisk gait and doesn't need spectacles to pore over his brief. "I never imagined the years would go by so fast," Abhyankar, who incidentally is also a freedom-fighter, told TOI at his Shukrawar Peth residence on Wednesday. "I have always taken good care of my health. I am a vegetarian and this has helped me stay physically fit." Born on July 7, 1910, Abhyankar went to NMV school, then to S P College where he studied science and finally to ILS Law College. Recounting the early days of his career, he said he represented clients as a junior lawyer in civil, criminal and revenue cases in courts in Pune, Kolhapur, Nashik and Mumbai. Abhyankar was fulsome in praise of the British judges of his time. "They were men of merit and had sound knowledge of the law. They were never biased against Indians and decided cases purely on merit," he said. Law as a career choice wasn't much in vogue in Abhyankar's time. "There were only around 300 lawyers in the district and sessions court those days and no women lawyers. There were fewer courts too; even the number of laws were few. It was only after new laws came into force after World War I that the legal profession became more sought after," he said. Terming the lawyers then as men of integrity, Abhyankar said they would accept fees from their clients only once, even if a case happened to get adjourned. He lashed out at the breed of lawyers who harass their clients for money. He suggested that lawyers who wish to make it big must spend their time in the libraries reading up on the profession, particularly case laws. Abhyankar spoke of several cases which he represented and recalled in detail how he had helped the litigants get 30 acres of land in the well-known Nana Phadnis wada case in Wai taluka of Satara district. He also recalled his interaction with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar during a case in Mumbai in 1950. While he may have been in awe of the British judges, Abhyankar's desire to see the country gain independence was manifest from his school days. "Lokmanya Tilak passed by my school in a procession in Pune after his return from England in 1919. On seeing him, I left my bag in class and ran out to join the procession," Abhyankar recalled. He went on to take an active part in the freedom struggle. "I was sentenced to six months' rigorous imprisonment for holding a public meeting against the British in Dhule." Abhyankar gets a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 from the Central government for participating in the freedom struggle. The state government gives him an additional Rs 500. The veteran lawyer has authored several books on legal issues like sales tax, rent Act, clemency Act, money-lending Act, Hindu Marriage Act and other laws since 1946. He was the editor of Law Bulletin for 50 years. He has also been the president of the Ayurveda Shikshan Mandal since the last 25 years. Abhyankar's wife Leelabai died six years ago. His son, Ravindra, is now retired. He also has two daughters. Meanwhile, the residents of Swami Samarth Society in Shukrawar Peth where Abhyankar lives will felicitate him on his birthday on Thursday for his contributions to the legal profession. Principal district and sessions judge Vijay Achliya will also felicitate him in the afternoon. [rc] Copyright © 2009 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.