No caste or creed in his office: Supreme Court Justice MM Sundresh hails K Parasaran for 75 years at the Bar

Supreme Court Justice MM Sundresh on Saturday said that Senior Advocate K Parasaran’s life represents the rare union of intellect, virtue and spiritual humility and one that transcends caste, creed and ritual observance..Speaking at a felicitation marking Parasaran’s 75 years at the Bar and 50 years as a Senior Advocate, Justice Sundresh said the veteran lawyer’s greatness lay not merely in his legal acumen but in his moral practice of Dharma, the inner order that gives meaning to law itself.“He is a man who does not live for himself but lives for others. I have heard from his juniors that there is no discrimination in his chambers. There is no caste or creed in his office; people from across communities are all treated the same,” Justice Sundresh said..He recalled being told by former Supreme Court judge Justice Nagappan that Parasaran treated every junior like his own child and that his office was a family built on virtues.Justice Sundresh observed that while knowledge can be acquired, character must be cultivated through constant practice.“There may be many people in this field but what makes Mr Parasaran stand out is that his approach is rooted in Dharma. Knowledge is something which can be acquired, but character is something which can only be formed. Law is nothing but an instrument to give effect to Dharma. The word Dharma cannot be interpreted in the English language, it goes beyond,” he said. .To explain the moral foundation of such Dharma, Justice Sundresh invoked Thiruvalluvar’s verse from the Thirukkural (Couplet 35):“அழுக்காறு அவாவெகுளி இன்னாச்சொல் நான்கும்இழுக்கா இயன்றது அறம்.”“Virtue consists in refraining from envy, greed, anger and hurtful speech.”He said that Thiruvalluvar defined aram or virtue not as ritual but as mastery over four destructive impulses — jealousy, desire, wrath and cruelty in words. To live without succumbing to them is to live by Dharma, Justice Sundresh said..In that spirit, he described Parasaran as the only living embodiment of an Andhanar, a term that in classical Tamil thought refers not merely to a Brahmin by birth but to one who practices restraint, humility, compassion and selfless service. An Andhanar is a custodian of moral order defined by righteousness rather than ritual privilege. He said:“During Valluvar’s time, they defined Andhanar, we should understand the definition correctly. Mr Parasaran is the only person living by that definition. Andhanar is a person who practises these four principles; how you help others defines your status of Andhanar. He is religious, but not as religious as we think of him to be; his religion is based on spirituality.”.Justice Sundresh concluded,“Good people should be appreciated; the undeserving should not be appreciated.”.Supreme Court Justice KV Viswanathan also graced the occasion. He recalled that his own career began under the blessings of K Parasaran when he came to Chennai from Coimbatore to enrol as an advocate in October 1988.“After completing all the formalities, I went to the Madras High Court to observe the proceedings. Mr Parasaran was arguing a case; I was captivated by his arguments and went to seek his blessings. Thus, my career began with the blessings of Mr. Parasaran,” he said.Justice Viswanathan said Parasaran’s journey over the last 75 years was deeply intertwined with the evolution of the Constitution and the moral concept of Dharma.“Mr. Parasaran’s journey over the last 75 years is deeply entrenched in and inseparable from the growth of the Constitution and Dharma. What makes him stand out is the way he prepares for a case. It is divine. He does not let any point slip. I have appeared with him and against him on many occasions, and I have always learned something from him each time.”He said Parasaran treated juniors like students and was revered as an Acharya.“He would treat juniors like students, and they regarded him as their Acharya. He would open his briefs only at auspicious times.”Justice Viswanathan also shared an anecdote involving his early years and the senior lawyer’s role in his personal life.“Ramu Sir was Mr Parasaran’s manager; you had to meet Ramu before you could meet Mr Parasaran. Ramu is my wife’s uncle. After my marriage was fixed, my father-in-law wanted to make inquiries about me, as every father of the bride would before giving their daughter in hand to a lawyer. He asked Ramu Sir, who in turn asked Mr Parasaran. It was only after Mr Parasaran gave me a good conduct certificate that my wedding went ahead,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.He added that even on his way to the event, his spouse reminded him of that story.“On the way to Chennai, my spouse asked if I was going to speak about this incident. I said I had already made a note of it. She then said, ‘You say what you want, but after the event, I am going to ask him what prompted him to give you that good conduct certificate.’”.Delivering the welcome address, Supreme Court Justice R Mahadevan said that honouring Parasaran, a legal colossus elder even to independent India, was both a privilege and a lesson in humility.“To felicitate a legal luminary of such stature, the senior most member of the Bar, a nonagenarian elder even to independent India, is a privilege for all of us,” he said.Justice Mahadevan praised Parasaran’s devotion to work, clarity of thought and steadfast advocacy of judicial independence.“Anyone who knew him would know his unflinching allegiance to righteousness and rectitude. In his speeches, he often emphasised duties over rights and the importance of respect to women. He always quoted from ancient texts to underline the significance of good conduct and character and his greatness lies in how he made himself an exemplar of such righteousness.”.He said Parasaran’s true legacy could not be measured by courtroom victories alone.“Cases are statistics of victory or loss, but the values he propagated stretch far beyond the courtroom. Great men unify, not divide. The best way to honour him is to take his legacy forward by upholding the dignity, authority and majesty of the judiciary and of law.”