Two Lama On Eve of Retirement of
Hon’ble Justice Surinder
Singh Nijjar,
Judge, Supreme Court of India
(On 6/6/2014)
In The Mountains of
Tibet
Younger Lama asked Elder Lama,
“What can you say about
Justice Nijjar?
Elder Lama thought for a while and
said,
“He was a sojourner.
A sojourner is a person
Who lives like a traveller on Earth.
An air of aloofness and detachment
Surrounds him wherever he goes.
He feels like a foreigner
On every part of Earth.
He discharges his duty without
attachments.”
Younger Lama reflected for sometime
And then asked,
“You once said that,
‘To know a person well,
find out what he dislikes most’,
So tell me,
‘What did Justice Nijjar dislike most,
What did he disapprove most?”
Elder Lama replied,
“He disliked the way
Some Senior Advocates argued cases.
He disapproved their squabbling with
each other,
They were fighting cases
As if their own life and fortunes
were at stake in cases!
He used to caution them many times,
And used to ask them to argue
objectively,
And to maintain decorum of Supreme Court.”
“Why do some senior advocates
Start squabbling during arguments?
What makes them so involved in some
cases to the extent
That they do not mind even abusing
the judge?”
Younger Lama asked a worrisome question
Elder Lama replied,
“It is because of Pavlovian
Conditioning.
Experiments were made in 1920
And it was found that
Possibilities of higher
rewards
Change behaviours of animals
Findings were seen working on human
beings also
In absence of fee related regulations,
Performance of lawyers
Changes,
From lawyer to lawyer,
And from case to case
Across the India.”
“Are there no regulations
About how much rewards a Senior
Advocate can ask
For his professional services in
India?”
Asked Younger Lama
“Sky is the limit.”
Replied Elder Lama
Haresh Raichura
Advocate on Record.
