MUMBAI: Senior Counsel Iqbal Chagla, a legal doyen and the son of the first Indian Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, M C Chagla, passed away on Sunday in Mumbai. Born on March 7, 1939, Chagla epitomized erudition and elegance in his court craft. He would have turned 86 years old this March. His son is Justice Riyaz Chagla, a judge of the Bombay HC.
Chagla’s contribution to the legal field is immeasurable, and his legal work will forever be remembered, said Farhan Dubash, secretary of the Bombay Bar Association, of which Chagla was a former President.
A luminary for the young, his dedication, integrity, and excellence as a lawyer inspired generations of lawyers, and he championed human rights and the rule of law, said the BBA. He studied at St Mary’s as a school boy said a lawyer Jamshed Mistry.
Senior advocates mourning his loss on Sunday said his passing left a void in the profession. “Iqbal epitomized the old-school seniors. Barrister at Grays Inn and read law at Cambridge University in the 1950s, he carved out a stature for himself away from his legendary father, Justice M C Chagla. Always elegant in his dressing and his oratory, he embodied the true values and principles of the profession. His erudite exposition of juristic propositions on myriad subjects made him the go-to senior for solicitors and clients,’’ said Senior Counsel Amit Desai to the TOI. His last major matter was when he appeared in the Syedna dispute before the HC.
Juniors and interns would rush to court in the past when he argued. His baritone and politeness as he pressed his points with an inflection and languidity of language left the bench and the young at the bar, rapt in attention. “He was a liberal at heart and a strong proponent of our constitutional values. A man of letters and a passion for music and golf,’’ added Desai. Yet another Senior Counsel, Janak Dwarkadas, echoing Desai also added how Chagla’s attention to detail was a hallmark too.
Dwarkadas said, “the voice of the advocate I admired the most, has sadly fallen silent – forever. In his passing, it’s the passing of an era. He will be remembered, for the extremely high ethical standards, he set at the bar.”
Another Senior Counsel, Darius Khambata, said he “lost a father figure.’’
His other peers described him as “easily one of the finest lawyers in India.” The Cambridge educated counsel argued complex corporate legal battles as well as socio-environmental matters–pro-bone–with equal fervour and dedication. He would appear for a softdrink giant against the State but also in a PIL for environmental activists as he did when he fought against haphazard and unregulated billboards in Mumbai and against large swathes of Mumbai’s Mill lands being let out for private development with public getting barely any open space from it.
Chagla’s funeral will be held at 10.30 am on Monday, January 13, at the Worli Crematorium in Mumbai.