Our society was literally saturated with umpteen number of lawyers even few decades ago. It was the foremost profession any body from elite or educated middle class would aspire to become, when Engineers, and doctors were not really in the rat race. By the time India got independence it was flooded with lawyers with their Barrister, Bar at law , LLB degrees on hand. Imagine my grand father himself was a lawyer vouchsafing it's antiquity. By the the time I was born and grew up lawyers were often called to be understanding the trees ( which means they were standing under the trees).
Hindi movie "Kanoon" of sixties made waves for it's intensive arguments which demanded sound knowledge of Hindi from a South Indian. Great lawyers adorned the political circles, and were in the forefront in the freedom struggle. High profile lawyers were noted for their powerful arguments and often making news in the print media.Relatively unknown Shanti Bhushan a lawyer could change the political scenario of the country with his arguments against Indira Gandhi. Our own Jeth Malani occasionally misfires with his weird arguments threatening or own sense of justice.
Actually in ideological terms lawyers are the custodians of justice, the ideology being left to the winds ages back. They can upturn the cases and innocent might be punished while the culprit goes Scot free. Many families entangled in the court battles spend their life time making rounds to the courts. Many lost their huge properties feeding the lawyers and paying court fees. Our movies fantasize the role of lawyers with blindfolded statue behind, making heated arguments till they get a heart attack. The actual sight of a deglamorized court room can really make one fret as he misses every single imagination of a professional conduct. Piles of cases pending in various courts bring a culprit to the gallows only after few decades, when every body including the petitioners become forgiving and forgetting.
Present lawyers with the changing times changed their ideology and overtures. The socially conscious practitioners seem to have taken a totally different format, some of them taking the stance of goons. They seem to be spear heading every agitation and unlawful activities virtually breaking professional code of conduct. Recent wrestling in High court campus, brawling, and sight of black coats in collective violence show drastic falling standards of professional decency. The very incidence of collectively beating Nithari criminals in the court promises even before they were taken for trial, however heinous their crime might be, quite a precursor to the impending lawlessness and aggression in the community.
With the allegations of creeping corruption and political influenza into the judicial circles, chief justice himself buried neck deep into the criminal charges, adding to the vows, the shocking widespread ignorance of many judges as to the sections of the corresponding acts and judicial procedures, throw public at large into the unfathomable depths of justice denial and misery. This is the miserable part of our judicial system. Playing indiscriminate caste cards at every level could doom country's credentials leaving it mediocre by yardsticks.
Yet we can pat our shoulders for some of the historical judgments delivered in recent times, the vigorous Supreme court involvement in political issues and creating impediments in free run for treacherous political moves. Our to day's judicial system is not strictly confined to legal issues. The judges are trying to rise above their rigid proscriptions to deliberate on social issues. Many times they are road blocks to the power abuse , communal politics, and social dithering. People still take refuge of courts for justice, though late, finally to be delivered.It is a healthy sign that our democracy is functioning. The four standing lions of Saranath Stupa taken as national spirit, the one lion is obviously is Judiciary, the very fundamental tenant of democracy. Let this lion not be pulled at any time. Vigilance is the only way to safeguard our systems.
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