Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Monday revealed how much he was paid when he started his legal career in India..The CJI was hearing a case concerning high enrolment fees charged by State Bar Councils, when he remarked,"You tell an Odia lawyer from a backward district that pay ₹42,000 for enrolment, they cannot enrol. When I came back to India to practice law after SJD (doctorate) from Harvard, I was paid 60 rupees/4 guineas for my first case...you have to now hear the voices of lawyers also"..The Bench, also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala, went on to reserve its judgment in the matter. The Court indicated that it would nudge Parliament to revisit the fee caps..CJI Chandrachud has time and again urged senior lawyers, particularly those in big cities, to pay their juniors well so that they can make ends meet.He has said that seniors should not treat their juniors as slave workers merely because the former had to learn the law the hard way during their early days in the profession.Lawyers paying juniors a decent salary is the only way the Bar be democratised, the CJI has maintained. It will also ensure that those from marginalised communities get adequate opportunities in the profession, he added..Senior lawyers should pay juniors well, not treat them as slaves: CJI DY Chandrachud
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Monday revealed how much he was paid when he started his legal career in India..The CJI was hearing a case concerning high enrolment fees charged by State Bar Councils, when he remarked,"You tell an Odia lawyer from a backward district that pay ₹42,000 for enrolment, they cannot enrol. When I came back to India to practice law after SJD (doctorate) from Harvard, I was paid 60 rupees/4 guineas for my first case...you have to now hear the voices of lawyers also"..The Bench, also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala, went on to reserve its judgment in the matter. The Court indicated that it would nudge Parliament to revisit the fee caps..CJI Chandrachud has time and again urged senior lawyers, particularly those in big cities, to pay their juniors well so that they can make ends meet.He has said that seniors should not treat their juniors as slave workers merely because the former had to learn the law the hard way during their early days in the profession.Lawyers paying juniors a decent salary is the only way the Bar be democratised, the CJI has maintained. It will also ensure that those from marginalised communities get adequate opportunities in the profession, he added..Senior lawyers should pay juniors well, not treat them as slaves: CJI DY Chandrachud
