'Young Lawyers should learn Court Craft by sitting in Courts instead of spending time in Bar Rooms', says J. Deepak Gupta

08 May 2020

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Justice Deepak Gupta has bid adieu to Supreme Court this week and in his departing speech he has imparted some important advise to Junior Lawyers that rather spending free time sitting in the Courtroom and they should go to Bar room to learn Court craft and lawyering skills from Senior Counsel.

He further remarked that one should always be thorough with the facts of the case, even if they are not very thorough with the law.

He quoted saying:

"A Counsel should be so well prepared on this count, that the Judge should not be left with a chance to look through the file when it comes to facts of the case."

He added that Junior Lawyers who are still in the process of learning should spend their free time sitting in the Courtroom, observing the proceedings and the learning the craft from Senior Counsel when they argue.

He then went onto remember his own experience and disclosed that it was when he was observing Courtroom proceedings as a Lawyer that he got a chance to assist the Court when a Judge was unable to understand the facts.

This help of him got a large number of cases through the reference of the litigant he had helped.

He also lend his thought on the how the Courtroom should function and observed that acrimonious exchanges in the Court do not help anyone.

"Proceedings of a Court need to be conducted in a peaceful manner, the retiring Judge said, pointing out that in such an atmosphere, it is easier to get the work done. "

He further added on how Junior Lawyer deserves a patient hearing for their better growth.

"It is important for the Judges to be patient with the junior members of the Bar lest they feel that they were denied justice for their client. Junior lawyers must be given a chance to argue and must be given a patient hearing. If you give a junior lawyers a patient hearing, they would never feel that justice is being denied their clients only because they cannot engage Senior Counsel."

On the ending note Justice Gupta added one more thought for Junior Lawyers that they should strategise their career trajectory as regards the opportune time to go independent. He said that it should not be too soon that the Counsel is left looking for briefs and cases, and not so late that they end up being the 'permanent juniors.'

Justice Chandrachud, who presided over the function recalled how in his tenure Justice Deepak Gupta was an 'early bird' who used to arrive early and engage in discussion over various subjects.

He futher revealed that he and Justice Deepak Gupta were 'Coffee Buddies' and fondly recalled that the two had a lot of shared associations and common thoughts on various issues.

Justice DY and Justice Ravindra Bhat both appreciated the jurisprudence laid down by Justice Gupta in the number of judgments he delivered.

Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi, who was the Chief Guest at the event, Senior Counsel Vikas Pahwa, and ASG Aman Lekhi also delivered speeches and termed Justice Deepak Gupta as a warm Judge and a fierce champion of freedoms.