'Star Among All My Juniors; Great Honour To Practice Before Him' : Attorney General KK Venugopal On Justice Nariman

"I cannot let Justice Nariman leave the Supreme Court without saying a few words. It was a great honour for me to practice before him. My sense of pride lies in the fact that Justice Nariman was my favourite junior. I had many juniors but the star amongst them all was Justice Rohinton. Not because he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court but for the judgements that he has delivered that have contributed significantly to the jurisprudence of this country," Attorney General said.

Emphasizing on the fact that Justice Nariman was not just a judge but also a priest who was ordained at the age of 12, the AG said,

"Justice Rohinton was not just a lawyer. During his judgeship at the Supreme Court, he was not just a judge but he is a priest who was ordained at the age of 12 and recites the Parsi Holy Book from memory. He is a jurist par excellence and an expert in Constitutional Law, Commercial and Tax Law and has done an in-depth study of the Bible and Quran. Although he calls himself a student of comparative religion, he himself is an authority on religions of the world."

"Even as a young lawyer one could gather that Justice Nariman was a lawyer with diverse interests and expertise. He had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.His desire for knowledge has ensured that he would always remain a student irrespective of his high stature," AG further added in his address.

Highlighting his immense contribution with regards to the judgements delivered by Justice Nariman, the AG said, "Periodic challenges were being made to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code as a whole but it was because of Justice Rohinton's judgments, the IBC now stands on a solid and unshakeable foundation."

AG during his speech also gave a detailed account on notable judgments delivered by Justice Nariman and said in all his judgments one may find an elaborate description of the law and decisions in other jurisdictions as well some history.

"His efforts have ensured clarity in the law for a very long time to come and the Arbitration Committee in particular is very grateful for Justice Rohinton's decision in this area of law. Justice Nariman is one of the greatest legal minds and one of the finest judges of the Supreme Court of India. He is a man of high integrity and is highly respected," AG said while concluding his address.

In his farewell speech Justice Nariman also extended his gratitude to the Attorney General for India and said that he considered Attorney General for India, KK Venugopal as his lifetime guru.

"After my masters, I joined the chambers of KK Venugopal. KK Venugopal was the most devoted husband, father and a most devoted senior. I cannot thank him enough. We have learnt so much. Senior Juniors at that point of time, CS Vaidyanathan and Krishna Mani were outstanding individuals. They helped me a lot and I learnt a lot. Although I left his chambers, I made a very good bond with the others and I consider the Ld Attorney General as my guru for life," said Justice Nariman.