The Supreme Court’s memory is not confined to its judgments alone but also to the lives that shaped its conscience, said Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Thursday while unveiling the portrait of former law minister and late Senior Advocate Ashoke Kumar Sen.
At the event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the CJI said, “Today, we are not merely adorning our Library with a fitting tribute, we are enshrining in these walls the spirit of a life devoted to justice, intellect and public service.”
CJI Surya Kant noted that he had occasion to deliver the inaugural AK Sen Memorial Lecture two years ago and speak about his enchanting life. “Sen’s legacy is as storied as it is inspiring. A scholar of rare distinction, an Advocate of exemplary erudition and a statesman of unwavering commitment, he bridged the worlds of law and governance with the grace of one truly called to serve his nation,” he said.
The CJI added that the corridors of Library 1, which is lined with the portraits of great minds, serve not only to memorialize but to inspire. “For every Advocate who passes through the Library, seeking wisdom among the volumes, this portrait would be a silent reminder: that our calling transcends personal ambition, that the practice of law and the stewardship of justice are sacred trusts in service of the Republic.”
He noted that portraits of former Chief Justices already look upon Supreme Court corridors and court-rooms. “From the fearless Justice H. R. Khanna to the incomparable Justice B. K. Mukherjea – the walls of our institution are replete with icons of the Indian legal system,” he said.
The deeper purpose every portrait in this Court serves, “whether of a Chief Justice, of (Soli) Sorabjee, or, from today, of Sen. They stand guard, as much as they commemorate lives of exceptional service,” he said.
For every judge preparing to write a judgment, young lawyers drafting a contentious petition, litigants who have waited years to be heard, all pass beneath eyes that say nothing aloud, yet ask: that we be equal to the room that we occupy. The CJI said, “In my opinion, to meet that gaze honestly, even for a moment, is itself a kind of instruction.”
CJI Surya Kant noted that Sen was equally at home with the brief and the Bill, with precedent and policy, with the discipline of the courtroom and the demands of public life. While most lawyers spend a lifetime trying to master one institution, he helped shape more than one.
Sen’s photographic memory could summon a judgment by its exact place on the page, drawn from a private collection so vast that even judges are said to have borrowed from it to trace an elusive precedent, he said.
Observing that a list of offices and enactments don’t do justice to why a person is remembered with affection, he said the personality itself survives in stories.
Recalling an anecdote about Sen, the CJI said, “Arguing once before a judge, he stated, with his usual confidence, what a particular statutory provision meant. Unconvinced, the judge asked him, “How can you be so certain, Mr. Sen?” Without a flicker of hesitation, he replied, “Because, My Lords, I drafted it.” The courtroom is said to have broken into laughter. But if you look past the wit, you will see true mastery of the legal field on display.”
Similarly, Sen held the Bar in thrall, the CJI said, “Seniors at this Bar still recall Sen’s legendary “corridor briefing.” That when a matter was handed to him at the very last minute, in the corridors of this Court, he nonetheless argued it as though he had lived with the brief for weeks. Justice Dipankar Datta recently captured Sen’s legal prowess simply, remarking that “You had Palkhivala in Bombay, and Mr. Sen in Kolkata.”
He hoped Sen’s portrait would ask of young lawyers the more important questions: Have I prepared enough? Have I been fair to the Court and to my opponent? Have I used the law to clarify, or merely to complicate?
The CJI said may Sen’s presence remind us that brilliance without balance is incomplete; that office without service is transient; and that law without humanity is barren. May it remind the Bench and the Bar alike that institutions are strengthened not only by grand judgments and historic statutes, but also by the daily habits of preparation, restraint, humour and respect.
“From this evening forward, Sen will sit among us as a silent senior, never seeking the floor, yet always entitled to be heard,” CJI Surya Kant said.
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