Book on history of Bombay high court now on Kindle - Times of India

MUMBAI: An e-book that captures the essence of judicial proceedings over a century with articles by several legal luminaries on the history of Bombay high court is now online on Kindle. The Bombay High Court, this Independence Day became the first HC in the country to have an E-book released on the Kindle Platform. The HC and the Maharashtra Judicial Academy, Uttan will release their first E-book – ‘A Heritage of Judging: the Bombay High Court through One Hundred and Fifty Years’ on Amazon Kindle. The book edited by Justices Dhananjaya Chandrachud, Anoop Mohta and Roshan Dalvi, is the digital version of the print hardback that was released last August.

Maharashtra Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan launched the E-book on Independence Day. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had released the print version on August 18, 2012. The book, a riveting read, for any history or legal buff, has articles authored by attorney general Goolam Vahanvati, former attorney generay Soli Sorabjee, former Supreme Court judge BN Srikrishna, senior counsel Iqbal Chagla, Avinash Rana, Fali Nariman and Maharashtra advocate general Darius Khamabata among others.

In his chapter, Keep The Flag Flying High, Justice Srikrishna wrote that the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, as it was known then, was established under the Indian High Courts Act, 1861 by the British Parliament. “It was best of times, for there was a movement, a stir in the air, to gain independence from Foreign rule. It was the worst of times, for the nascent ambition for freedom, which the British terms Sepoy mutiny had been ruthlessly and violently suppressed.” He also wrote, “Remember the utter contempt with which Sir Winston Churchhill dismissed the notion of Independence to India? “Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters …. They will fight among themselves for power and will be lost in political squabbles.”

The E-book redesign was done by Uma Narayan, chief librarian of the Bombay high court. It is published by the Maharashtra Judicial Academy and Indian Mediation & Training Centre, Uttan.

The HC library which also has taken an initiative in launching the e-library has uploaded for history buffs, the entire judgments of Lok Manya Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s trial.