Ramni Taneja

Tehmtan R. Andhyarujina: As I remember him
29 March 2017

Mr Tehmtan R Andhyarujina, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, former Solicitor General of India and former Advocate General of Maharashtra, passed away in Mumbai on 28 March 2017. An ardent constitutionalist and an eminent jurist, the legal firmament of Indian law has lost one of its greatest exponents in constitutional law. I feel personally numbed and deeply shocked and saddened by his passing.

I had the honour and privilege of briefing and assisting Mr Andhyarujina in many cases in the Supreme Court of India during the last twenty years or so. His brilliance and his extraordinary command of the intricate and complex strands of legal jurisprudence that weave into our Constitution, left one in awe and admiration.

Apart from his mastery of the Indian Constitution and his scholarship and erudition, Mr Andhyarujina was also a great visionary and a firm believer in the rule of law. While preparing a very difficult challenge to the constitutional validity of an international treaty, and a habeas corpus petition concerning a foreign citizen in the Supreme Court of India in 2015, I consulted him and briefed him in this case for many months. He appeared pro bono and fought the case with his characteristic dedication and devotion to the law. Despite his busy schedule, he would always find the time to advise and guide me and encouraged every effort I made in this case during the last two years. Although the Supreme Court of India dismissed both these cases last year, Mr Andhyarujina with his infinite grace, dignity, and wisdom advised me: "You will face many challenges in life; we win some and we lose some....ultimately, you will succeed...."

When I wrote my book, Foreign Direct Investment and Globalisation, I approached Mr. Andhyarujina in 2013 and requested him to write a Foreword. With his innate modesty and humility, he asked me: "Why?" I replied: "It will be such an honour for me." I have been privileged and blessed by his Foreword to this book. He also presided over the function in New Delhi on 11 December 2013 for the release of this book.

I recall with nostalgia my last meeting with him in the Supreme Court of India earlier this year, in 2017. I did not imagine and I still cannot believe that this was going to be the last time that I would meet him. I sought his blessings and he reminded me of my professional duties to the rule of law. He recalled his decades spent in this venerable institution, the Supreme Court of India; he was deeply philosophical, stoical, pensive and cheerful and he wondered at the mystery of human life itself.

Sir: I can never ever forget your many personal kindnesses to me since I first met you in the Bombay High Court as a junior lawyer in 1980, and later, when I was privileged to brief you in many cases in the Supreme Court of India from 1997 till 2016. The Indian Bar is bereft of its finest and greatest leader. You have left a void in our hearts and minds.

I convey to the great and noble family of Mr Andhyarujina, my deepest and sincerest condolences. This loss is shared by all of Sir's admirers, friends and colleagues; we will always remember you with the greatest reverence, respect and affection.

Ramni Taneja
New Delhi, India
29 March 2017