My experience as Minister for Law Justice and Company Affairs

In 1977 when I was Law Minister in the Cabinet of Morarji Desai, I had four departments under me. Legal affairs whose main function was to give legal advice to all other departments, the Legislative department which drafted all bills and rules, Justice department which dealt with appointments to the Supreme Court and the High Courts and the department of Company Affairs which was responsible for administering the Companies Act. My full designation therefore was :

"The Minister for Law Justice and Company Affairs"

I happened to get invited to a function to make an inaugural speech. I was introduced there with my full designation as Minister for Law Justice and Company Affairs. When I stood up to make my speech I started by referring to the introduction and said that this designation of mine was creating great difficulties for me and the other day when I was working in my office an old gentleman came to meet me. He told me that he was an old widower and was feeling very lonely in life. I was perplexed and asked him what on earth I could do in this. My reply made him very angry and indignant. He loudly asked me whether I was not the Minister for Company Affairs. On my replying that I indeed was.He declared that as Minister for Company Affairs it was clearly my duty to arrange an affair for an old widower like him which would give him company to relieve him of his loneliness.This stumped me and made me realise how onerous my duties were.

In the next cabinet meeting I narrated this incident and everyone had a big laugh. Then somebody brought out the designation of Atal Behari Vajpayee which was Minister for External Affairs and raised the query whether Atal ji was permitted to have affairs only outside India and the only Minister who could have affairs inside India was Chaudhary Charan Singh being the Minister for Home Affairs.This indeed made for quite a sad state of affairs for the Janta Party, not a good omen for its longevity. 

SHANTI BHUSHAN

Former Union Law Minister & Senior Advocate

Sir Tej and his classmate, The Chief Justice of Nabha

This interesting story was narrated by Sir Tej himself when I used to attend his chambers during the day and his public darbar in the evening.

In the years after 1920 when Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was the Law Member of the Viceroys Executive Council and was living in Delhi, an old classmate of his happened to call on him.The visitor was made to sit in the drawing room and Sir Tej was informed. When Sir Tej came the visitor introduced himself as his old classmate in school. Sir Tej remembered him well and asked him what he was doing now. He said that he was Chief Justice of Nabha State. Sir Tej complimented him on his achievement and happened to ask him what salary was he getting. His reply shocked Sir Tej out of his wits.He said that his salary was Rs 66 per month. The salary paid to a member of the Executive Council was Rs 6600 per month.

Sir Tej said that the salary was extremely inadequate for the position of a Chief Justice and he would speak to the Maharaja of Nabha who was coming to dine with him in a day or two. Afterwards when Sir Tej came out to see him off at the porch he saw the new Nash Car in which the Chief Justice had come. So he said that the State was at least giving a grand car to its Chief Justice.The class fellow however said that it was not the State’s car but he himself had purchased it a week before. 

When the Maharaja came for dinner after a few days Sir Tej remembered the conversation with his classmate and told the Maharaja that it was not proper at all to pay a Chief Justice such a low salary as Rs 66 per month.The Maharaja had a big laugh and said whether the man was paid 66 or 6600, khayega sala phir bhi. (He will still make money by corruption whether he was paid a salary of Rs 66 or Rs 6600)

One has no means of knowing whether the Maharaja knew that Sir Tej was getting a salary of Rs 6600. Sir Tej however took the comment in his stride and gave the Maharaja benefit of doubt that the comment was not directed against Sir Tej himself.

SHANTI BHUSHAN

FORMER UNION LAW MINISTER & SENIOR ADVOCATE

SIR TEJ BAHADUR SAPRU'S HEADACHE

On a day in 1947 when my father happened to visit Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru at his residence he found him immersed in deep thought and a little worried. 

On my father’s asking what was worrying him, he took my father into confidence and told him, "Vishwamitra, in my life I have earned a lot but having lived a lavish life I have also been spending all that I have been earning and I have hardly saved any money. 

My worry is that when I die tomorrow all my children and grandchildren would say 

'Sale ne itna kamaya lekin sab khud hi kha gaya,hamare liye kuchh bhi nahin chhodha’ 

(Translation:This scoundrel earned so fabulously but ate away everything himself leaving nothing for us).  

Vishwamitra, I have two pieces of land in Delhi which my maternal grandmother had bought for Rs 600 and Rs 400 long time back and which came to me by inheritance.

A colonizer from Delhi saw me a couple of days back and told me that if the Govt. of India gave permission for colonization on those plots he would be prepared to buy them for Rs 18 lacs and Rs 12 lacs. Prime Minister Jawahar Lal is coming to see me day after tomorrow and I will request him to get such permission granted. In that case I would be able to get Rs 30 lacs which will enable me to leave Rs 2 lacs to each of my children and I would be able to die in peace without any fear of my grandchildren abusing me after my death that 'Sale ne itna kamaya lekin Sala sab khud hi kha gaya’. 

Sir Tej did make the request to the PM and eventually the permission was granted by the Government and each of his children including my class fellow Brij Narayan Sapru who later became a High Court Judge got cheques of  Rs 2 lacs each which was a huge amount in 1948 . Sir Tej thereafter died in peace on 20th January 1949. His last wish was granted. 

SHANTI BHUSHAN

FORMER UNION LAW MINISTER & SENIOR ADVOCATE

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA