The 24th of September 2021 may remain as a historical marker — albeit of a dishonorable type — in the annals of history for the legal fraternity of Goa, on account of the alleged shady electioneering at the elections of our Goa High Court Bar Association.
The entire process was not insulated against extraneous considerations of unethical nature. As members of legal fraternity we are duty-bound to uphold the Rule of Law in our deeds and actions, howsoever strong be our desire to win elections. Sadly, Goa’s highest Court of Justice helplessly witnessed an atrocious tragedy of sorts.
For the first time ever these elections to our Bar Association witnessed a huge flow of cash and considerations in kind. Our profession was no longer noble when we fell prey to such temptations, throwing the sacrosanct Code of ethics to the winds.
It is an extremely sad precedent that has been set. If we as lawyers lose our right to think independently, act appropriately and speak out fearlessly the future is bleak. Can we, then, expect anything better from other sections of the community? Winning elections by making unlawful and immoral inducements is a crying shame more so within the precincts of a Court of Justice.
September 24th will be remembered as a very dark day for Goa’s legal fraternity when we advocates were sadly guided in breaching the law by succumbing to acts which were absolutely unprincipled and horrendous to say the least. We abdicated our responsibility as guardians of law that we had so solemnly resolved to be.
As an officer of the Court, I have diligently complied with my bounden duty by informing the above to the Chief Justice of India, the Bombay High Court Chief Justice and the Administrative Judge of the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
