Designate VOC b'day as lawyers' day, says PIL

CHENNAI: In 1906, in a bid to foil British monopoly in sea trade, third-generation lawyer V O Chidambaram Pillai (VOC) launched the Swadeshi Shipping Company, earning him the sobriquet Kappalottia Tamizhan or Tamil helmsman. His company was broken by the British by unfair means and he was jailed.
In 1908, when VOC was in jail, Gandhiji was yet to become a Mahatma and return to India from South Africa.Jawaharlal Nehru was just 19 years old, and C Rajagopalachari was yet to enter public life.
Narrating these facts and the manner the nation has forgotten its exemplary son, a PIL has now sought his birth anniversary on September 5 to be declared as Lawyers' Day.
A E Chelliah, senior advocate, who filed the PIL, said as Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's birthday is observed as Teachers' Day, and Nehru's birthday as Children's Day, the birthday of VOC deserved to be called Lawyers' Day, in honour of VOC who was a lawyer, writer, social reformer and freedom fighter.
In his anecdotal affidavit, Chelliah said the British rulers stripped VOC of his licence to practice law, and returned it only when he served 10 arduous years in jail. He then appeared for K Kamaraj, who was a 31-year-old man then, and got him acquitted in the 'all Madras Presidency conspiracy case.'
Kamaraj went on to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, AICC chief and was instrumental in making Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi the prime ministers of India, he said, adding that Kamaraj also expanded noon-meal schemes to all schools and brought in a number of factories and projects to this part of the country.
Chelliah argued that while several other freedom fighters and scholars had got their due in Independent India, VOC's contribution had not been properly acknowledged. Declaring his birthday as Lawyers' Day would be a fitting tribute to him, he said.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and justice R Mahadevan said it was for the government to examine the issue as it fell within the administrative domain.
There are a number of individuals who had contributed to freedom struggle, but the nature of contribution, the day that can be earmarked and the manner of observance would fall within the ambit of the government's decision.
Stating that no representation had so far been made to the government, the judges said if the petitioner submitted one, the government could bestow its consideration on the matter.