Attorney General R. Venkataramani hails K. Parasaran as a “saint lawyer” whose devotion to Lord Ram shaped his understanding of law and the Constitution, celebrating a lifetime where dharma and justice walk hand in hand.
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NEW DELHI: Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani paid rich tribute to former Attorney General K. Parasaran, calling him a “saint lawyer” whose life embodies the seamless union of dharma and law. The event, organized by the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, marked Parasaran’s platinum jubilee as a lawyer and golden jubilee as a Senior Advocate, a rare and remarkable milestone in India’s legal history.
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Speaking with reverence, Venkataramani said that Parasaran’s devotion to Lord Ram has profoundly shaped his understanding of the Constitution and his approach to law and ethics.
“Sir has only one master, Lord Ram, and his allegiance to and love of the Constitution was also shaped by the higher faith,”
Venkataramani observed.
“One who mastered the essence of the Ramayana did not have to labour hard to locate prestigious, precious contemporary legal principles in the diverse context of the holy text.”
Describing him as one who found the spiritual in the legal, Venkataramani said Parasaran’s philosophy places dharma at the core of justice:
“For Sir, law is only a phase of dharma, and it can be relevant only if fully founded in dharma.”
Reflecting on Parasaran’s pivotal role in the Ayodhya dispute, the Attorney General called it a moment of destiny:
“In the play of destiny, many of us lesser mortals disappear as mere bubbles, but Sir was a chosen one.”
He added that Parasaran represented a rare breed of lawyers who bridge the mundane and the spiritual, always placing moral principle above worldly pressures — a hallmark of his advocacy and public service.
A significant portion of Venkataramani’s address focused on Parasaran’s handling of the Union Carbide litigation following the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, one of India’s most complex and unprecedented legal battles.
Venkataramani praised Parasaran’s ability to steer through uncharted territory in tort law, balancing domestic justice and international scrutiny:
“It was not mere Donoghue v. Stevenson or like the Wigan Mount case of English tort law. Mass torts was an emerging phenomenon.”
He noted that while many, including Professor Upendra Baxi, had initially questioned the settlement, time has vindicated Parasaran’s prudence and fairness. As someone who later argued the curative petition in the same case, Venkataramani said he found that “justice had been done in its time.”
Senior Advocate K. Parasaran:
Born in Srirangam in 1927, Parasaran was enrolled at the Madras Bar in 1950 and designated Senior Advocate in 1975, completing fifty years in that role this year. He went on to serve as Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, Solicitor General of India, and finally as Attorney General of India (1983–1989).
Venkataramani said Parasaran’s journey stands as a model of humility, learning, and moral clarity, inspiring generations of lawyers to uphold the profession’s noblest ideals.
He fondly recalled his own experiences briefing Parasaran as a young lawyer:
“Briefings became learnings and these came with a package of ethical values. Once a student, I will remain such a student.”
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The event also saw the release of a commemorative volume on K. Parasaran’s life and contributions. It was attended by Supreme Court Justices Vikram Nath, M.M. Sundaresh, P.S. Narasimha, and K.V. Viswanathan, along with distinguished members of the Bar and the judiciary.