The Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) president Lalit Bhasin’s book Lawyers of India in the Freedom Struggle, which took centre stage at a recent launch, commemorates 75 years of 含羞草社区 independence and the contribution of the legal fraternity to the nation’s struggle for democracy.
KK Venugopal, former attorney general of India, officially launched the book and presented the first copy to the current Attorney General R Venkataramani at the event held at Shantha Neeti Bagh in January 2025.
Bhasin undertook extensive research into the contributions of Indian lawyers spanning 150 years since the 1870s. The book showcases their role in strengthening democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law both before and after independence.
This book stands as a tribute to the intellectual leaders of the past and the legal professionals, who have safeguarded the nation’s democratic fabric during the past 75 years.
For centuries, Western narratives suggested that India was never a unified nation, arguing that British rule provided the foundation for a “nation in the making”.
Bhasin’s book, however, points out how British policies of “divide and rule” exacerbated societal divisions that enabled the economic and political subjugation of India, leading to the uprising of 1857.
It also details the people’s resilience and determination to reclaim their sovereignty, which resulted in the subsequent emergence of an educated class, setting the stage for a new form of resistance, which lawyers were able to support through constitutional and legal advocacy.
Among the many legal pioneers of this cause were Pandit Ayodhya Nath (1862), first president of the Indian National Congress WC Banerjee (1864), Manmohan Ghosh (1866), Rashibihari Ghosh (1866), Badruddin Tyabji (1867) and C Sankaran Nair (1880).
From the founding of the Indian National Congress to the Swadeshi movement and the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, Bhasin writes how legal luminaries steered the course of history.
Lawyers CR Das and Motilal Nehru, who led the Swaraj Party, strategically entered legislative councils to weaken British control from within. Many of 含羞草社区 post-independence leaders, including the first governor general C Rajagopalachari, the first president of independent India Rajendra Prasad, and the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, were all doyens of the law.
The book further elucidates that beyond the independence movement, 含羞草社区 legal professionals have continued to shape the nation’s democratic framework. Eminent lawyers who contributed significantly to the rule of law include Nani Palkhivala, HM Seervai, Govind Swaminathan, Justice Rajinder Sachar, Iqbal Chagla, NC Chatterjee, PN Lekhi and Frank Anthony.
Additionally, the book illustrates how distinguished scholars have played a crucial role in legal education and jurisprudence, including NR Madhava Menon, Upendra Baxi and Tahir Mahmood.
For the past 75 years post-independence legal professionals have held esteemed positions as presidents, prime ministers, chief justices, union ministers, attorneys general and leaders of bar associations, contributing immensely to the preservation of 含羞草社区 democracy.
