Some extraordinary people go on to become legends during their lifetimes. One of them was Arun Jaitley. He was legend in his own rights. He moved with grace and dignity while yet being resolute and committed, covering nearly all aspects of life.
He served as a leader among his peers and was chosen to lead the Delhi University Students Union. Due to his political connection, he was imprisoned in 1975 under the state of emergency. His arrest and detention served as pivotal moments in his life, leading to his rise to political leadership. He studied law and went on to become one of the most well-known Senior Counsel in the nation. His wide shoulders were capable of supporting both his political and legal responsibilities.
In 1990, politics took precedence over all other pursuits, and he emerged as the BJP’s most well-known, intelligent, friendly, and knowledgeable representative. There was no turning point after that. He rose to the positions of State Minister, Leader of the House, Senior Cabinet Minister, and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament. These accomplishments are very widely known.
What the general public and even members of the legal community might not be aware of is Arun Jaitley’s contribution to advancing the legal profession, legal education, and the provision of resources and opportunity for the development of young attorneys. He understood the significance of the Bar Associations and other organisations serving professionals in the nation.
The Bar Association of India (BAI) invited Arun Jaitley as Chief Guest / Guest of Honor as a Minister or Leader of Opposition and in any case as one of the top-most jurists of the Country in all the events conferences, seminars, discussions, and meetings with delegations during the period 1990–2010 under the presidency of Fali Nariman India’s most eminent lawyer, and I had the honour of serving as the General Secretary of the Association during that entire period.
In the year 2000, Arun Jaitley officially launched the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF), the first organisation of its kind, in the honourable presence of Fali Nariman and Ms. Diana Kempe, President of the International Bar Association. He served as the state’s minister of law and justice. He recognised the SILF’s potential and voiced the sincere expectation that, sooner rather than later, Indian legal firms would be the best in the world and would be able to compete with long-standing foreign law companies. He has not been let down by SILF or its members. The Indian government, the parliament, the judiciary, and international and local bar associations all around the world now recognise SILF.
The allocation of two plots of land in the institutional area on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi, where the two buildings are being finished, is owed to the noble departed soul for whom BAI and SILF are grateful. The first brick was put by Mr. Jaitley. Both arbitration and mediation were important to him as alternative dispute resolution methods, thus these two buildings would include state-of-the-art arbitration and mediation centres.
Arun Jaitley was dissatisfied with the structure, level, and character of legal education in India. He had a platform to communicate with faculty, students, and law schools at universities thanks to both BAI and SILF. Sangeeta Jaitley, his distinguished wife, is likewise very interested in the field of legal education. When SILF launched a Law Teachers’ Day that is observed in the first week of September each year, he graciously and significantly supported the organisation by being present. At the inaugural event in 2009, he gave Prof. Madhava N Menon (who passed away a little over two months ago) the first Law Teacher Award. During the Law Teachers Day events, he liked getting to know Vice Chancellors, Deans, Directors, and Faculty from law schools.He urged them to modernise legal education and include cutting-edge technology without sacrificing the profession’s history, ethics, or principles.
Mr. Jaitley was aware that since the beginning of 1990, the Indian legal community has opposed the entry of foreign lawyers into India. At the same time, he believed that it was essential for multinational company to have access to the legal representation of its choosing wherever investments are made. Indian law firms have the experience, knowledge, and technology necessary to handle the foreign challenge by 2014. Responding positively to Mr. Jaitley’s ideas, BAI and SILF both expressed their support for the government’s proposal to gradually permit the practise of foreign law in India.
He was a staunch advocate for preserving, bolstering, and advancing the rule of law. He was more than just a lawyer; in addition, he was a brilliant political thinker and an outstanding Indian citizen. The mentor of the legal fraternity is no more.
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