#books
My Tryst with Justice,
P N Bhagwati.
Justice P.N. Bhagwati was one of the distinguished jurists of this country, who rose to become the 17th Chief Justice of India. He is the inheritor of an illustrious heritage as the son of Justice N.H. Bhagwati, and the brother of the internationally acclaimed economist Jagdish Bhagwati.
The low-point in his career was when he joined the majority of the Supreme Court judges and ruled that, “fundamental rights including the inalienable right to life could be done way with”, in the Habeous Corpus case (ADM Jabalpur case ) during the infamous Emergency in 1975.
He later redeemed himself as the progenitor of public interest litigation in the country.
He believed that a judge must interpret the law in a manner which would meet the hopes and aspirations of the common man.
His autobiography ” My Tryst with Justice” is a testimony of his life and his beliefs.
“It was impossible for the poor and the weak to approach the court for enforcement of the rights conferred on them by the Constitution and the laws for securing justice, because they lacked awareness, assertiveness, and availability of machinery for enforcing their constitutional and legal rights”.
Justice Bhagavathy, through his pathbreaking judgements, initiated reforms in public interest litigation, release of bonded labour, compensation for environmental damage, NGOs as judicial commission etc.
– Joy Kallivayalil.
