ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846 A Judge as a Philosopher A Tribute to Justice P N Bhagwati BHARAT H DESAI Vol. 52, Issue No. 27, 08 Jul, 2017 Bharat Desai (
[email protected]) is professor of International Law, Jawaharlal Nehru Chair & Chairman of the Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi as well as the chairman of the Centre for Advanced Study on Courts and Tribunals, Amritsar. The sheer audacity of Justice P N Bhagwati’s vision, philosophical rationale and futuristic imprint of judicial activism appear to be unparalleled. It provides a beacon of hope to us that much desired changes in the Indian legal system are possible. This can happen if conscientious judges with wider horizons can marshal ideas that are duly guided by taking the Constitution as an organic beacon of hope for betterment of the society at large. In the legal annals of independent India, very few judges have left an indelible imprint on justice delivery system and legal mechanisms for societal betterment. One such iconic judge left, after a lifespan of 95 years, for his heavenly abode on 15 June 2017. In fact, Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati, who was born on 21 December 1921, was a restless legal crusader, who turned his tenure as a judge of the Supreme Court into a unique opportunity to give effect to some of the embedded aspirations of the founding fathers of the Indian Constitution. His illustrious father, N H Bhagwati, served as a Supreme Court judge (1952–59) as well as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bombay.