Many of us outside the school and college system can only dream of summer, winter and Diwali vacations. But a lingering colonial hangover means that a certain profession still has that privilege.
The oppressive heat of May, ceremonial dress wigs included, predominantly European presiding officers and the lack of air-conditioning made work next to impossible during the days of the British Raj. Technological advances have made little difference to this tradition and judges, lawyers and court staff enjoy what some would argue is a well deserved month off.
It was a good time then to ask two of India's leading senior counsel what they read during their time off. Here's what Aman Lekhi and Amit Desai read and recommended:
Amit Desai
Amit Desai is one of India's most successful and sought after criminal lawyers and has defended clients such as Salman Khan, Keshub Mahindra and Vijay Mallya. A prominent professional triumph for him in recent times came in the form of securing Khan's acquittal in a hit-and-run case dating back to 2002. Here are some of his favourite books.
1. The New Digital Age: Reshaping The Future of People Nations and Business by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen
The book co-authored by the former Google CEO and Google Ideas director, is a comprehensive look at the threats and opportunities posed by emerging technologies. The book touches upon how human life will change both for the better and worse as a result of such advances.
2. Rumpole Of The Bailey series by John Mortimer
This series was adapted into a successful British television series and chronicles the life and practice of a barrister well past his heydays, with a penchant for taking on any and every case, however impossible, at London's Old Bailey criminal court.
3. The State Of The Nation by Fali Nariman
The book is a comprehensive treatise on the maladies plaguing the three organs of State – the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Written by one of India's most eminent jurists, the book dwells on sensitive issues such as corruption in the judiciary and the failure of the legislature and executive in ensuring enforcement and compliance with law.
It also discusses the obscure procedures and red tape that anyone attempting to navigate India's legal system has to plod through to get justice.
Aman Lekhi
Aman Lekhi practices in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court and has appeared in several cases of national importance from the coal scam to the 2G spectrum allocation scam to the Commonwealth Games scam. Here are some of the books he recommended.
1. The Passions Of Law edited by Susan Bandes
According to Lekhi, the book deals with the complex interplay of emotions in law, and the role such emotions play in the framing of law. Essentially, the anthology seeks to answer one key question – do legal filters succeed in keeping emotions out of the legal system?
Dealing with vengeance, disgust, cowardice, the book examines motivations behind actors in the legal sphere, the reasons for obedience of law and the purpose of punishment, the passion for justice and commitment to principle. And as the book itself notes, that while questions remain, the sources available for addressing them become richer.Aman Lekhi, Senior Counsel
2. What Is Populism by Jan-Werner Muller
The book explains the rise of successful political campaigns grounded in populism, which, it argues, is primarily a rejection of pluralism. It draws on the recent campaigns for the American and French presidency, among others, as cases in point.
Lekhi said that the book was “penetratingly discerning” and yet an extremely easy read.
The book helps identify who a populist is, distinguishing between qualities necessary but not sufficient. Dealing with its anti-elitism and hostility to pluralism, the book also posits that populists can govern as populists and how one can respond to populists.Aman Lekhi, Senior Counsel
3. The Battle For Sanskrit by Rajiv Malhotra
The book focuses on Indology – a modern American movement which sees many traditional or sacred elements of ancient Sanskrit texts as oppressive and grounded in perpetuating the reign of the ruling class. The influential movement advocates purging Sanskrit religious texts of such pernicious content.
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