Former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has shared some interesting things regarding his career in a recent interview. He explained that law was not his first choice; In fact, he intended to pursue a master’s degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics. Chandrachud said, “I graduated with honors in Economics and Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College. After completing BA, my first choice was actually to do post graduation in Economics, but fate brought me here. After this I never looked back.”
He also mentioned about his first fee received during his law practice. Chandrachud said that in earlier times fees were paid in gold coins. The price of one seal was 15 rupees, and in his first case he had received six seals, the total value of which was 90 rupees.
Speaking to NDTV, the former CJI said, “I was fresh out of Harvard Law School and I had an SJD degree, which is a doctorate in juridical sciences. My first assignment was to mention before a division bench in the Bombay High Court. When I asked the solicitor about the fees, he told that at that time in Bombay the fees were fixed in gold coins. The solicitor said my fee for this work would be five gold seals, but since this was my first case, he gave me six gold seals. “This way, in the mid-eighties, I could earn Rs 75 to Rs 90.”
Chandrachud’s experience reflects the beginning of his career and how he has adapted law to his professional life.
