Poetry is the true language of a lawyer: Justice Suresh Gupte

From a humble middle class Maharashtran family, Justice Gupte was the first person in his family to pursue law, and was groomed by his grandfather from a very young age, not just to become a lawyer, but particularly to become a judge. Chatting with Sr. Adv. Darius Khambata, we explore Justice Gupte’s love for theatre and how there is a little bit of an actor in every lawyer and a bit of a director in every judge. He talks about the challenges he faced as a junior member of the bar, the qualities in a lawyer he looked for as a judge, as well as his views on the judiciary when it comes to fairness, honesty, and of course, justice.
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Chapters:
(00:00 - 00:52) Introduction
(00:53 - 02:17) His grandfather’s influence on him becoming a judge
(02:18 - 06:49) His passion for theatre in school and college years
(06:50 - 10:07) His early days at the bar
(10:08 - 11:07) Initial days of struggle
(11:08 - 12:13) His role models
(12:14 - 14:286) The 3 times he was asked to be a judge
(14:27 - 17:08) The three benchmarks of writing judgements
(17:09 - 18:11) Sitting on a division bench with Justice Chandrachud
(18:12 - 22:33) What does a judge look for in a lawyer
(22:34 - 25:31) Vaidehi Akash case
(25:32 - 26:11) Transition from lawyer to judge
(26:12 - 28:16) Relationship and history with Justice Kathawalla
(28:17 - 30:55) The Beef Ban in Maharashtra
(30:56 - 32:59) Protecting the independence of the judiciary
CREDITS:
Guest: Justice Suresh C. Gupte
Host: Sr. Adv. Darius Khambata
Editorial Guidance: Nitin Thakker
Special Thanks: Vishal Kanade & Firoz Bharucha
Concept & Creative Producer: Aditya Bapat
This is a Maed in India production.
Head of Production: Shaun Fanthome
Creative Head: Mae Mariyam Thomas
Sound Designer & Mixing Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni
Sound Editors : Lakshman Parsuram & Ishaan Devasthali
Directed and edited by: Jishnu Guha
Camera Assistant: Ujjwal Lo
Project Coordinator: Natasha Vakil
Research: Nirmal Bhansali
Assistant Producers: Meghna Gulati & Ruchi Sawardekar
Studio: Island City Studios