P.B. Vachha's Famous Judges, Lawyers and Cases of Bombay (A Judicial History of Bombay during the British Period)

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Description
In March 1961, I was requested by the Hon. the Chief Justice of Bombay to write a History of the Bombay High Court for publication on the occasion of its Centenary in 1962. When I agreed, rather reluctantly, in view of my advanced age and infirmities, to undertake this work, I stipulated at the very start that I should have a free hand to write in my own way, and freely express my views and comments on men and matters. However, when the manuscript was with the High Court, objections were raised to some of the views expressed or the manner of expressing them. Through the good offices of a learned friend, almost all the objections were. met without sacrificing the substance of what I wished to say. The Centenary Celebrations Committee decided that a note on the following lines should be inserted at the beginning of the book (that is, the book of which my History was to be a part): "The opinions expressed in this book represent the opinions of the writers and the statements of fact made therein have been made by the writers on their responsibility." I had no objection to such a note being prefixed to my work. It was further decided that the book should be published by the Prothonotary in his capacity as the Secretary of the Centenary Celebrations Committee. These decisions were obviously designed to eliminate any possibility of the High Court being held responsible in any way for the contents of the Centenary Volume. I have referred above to the objections that were adjusted through the good offices of a learned friend; but there was one objection which I could not meet without sacrificing my conception of a Historian's duty, and I therefore declined to delete the Postscript to the Second Tilak Trial in Chapter XV.
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Table of Contents
Introduction By Soli J. Sorabjee.
Preface
I Origin And Background Of Law Courts In
   Bombay
II The First British Courts Of Law In Bombay
III Recorder's Court And The Supreme Court
IV The East India Company's Adawlats.
V Establishment Of The High Court.
VI Inauguration And Golden Jubilee.
VII I.C.S. Judges
VIII High Court
IX Eminent Judges
X Last Scene
XI Bombay Bar
XII Eminent Advocates
XIII Conflicts Between The Executive And The
         Judiciary In Bombay
XIV Miscellaneous
XV Historical Cases.
Appendix-List Of Books Consulted
Index
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Author Details
P.B. Vachha
With an Introduction by
Soli J. Sorabjee, Former Attoney General gor India