Acting Chief Justice A J Desai bids farewell to Gujarat High Court

Addressing the full court farewell held for him by the Gujarat HC Bench and Bar on Friday, ACJ Desai reminisced that he had exposure to the working of judiciary and specifically the district judiciary, owing to his family background.

Noting the frequent transfers of his father to various parts of Gujarat, ACJ Desai said that he had “several opportunities to measure the difficulty of judicial officers, their family members and court staff.” “In some cases, the official quarters of the judicial officers were situated in the court compound only. Despite this, I
can say with pride that adversity never dampens the spirit of officers. Dedication and sincerity with which my father worked, inspired me to join the legal profession. My father had expected me to become an engineer since my elder brother was a doctor,” ACJ Desai added.

Graduating with BA in economics from St Xaviers College in Ahmedabad, ACJ Desai obtained his law degree from Sir LA Shah College in Ahmedabad in 1985 and was enrolled as an advocate in November 1994. His initially practiced at the Ahmedabad city civil and sessions court and started practising in HC from 1991. He was appointed as assistant government pleader in 1994 and as additional public prosecutor in 1995, a post he continued to hold until his elevation as a judge.

At the farewell ceremony, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi said, “In these capacities, he was always well prepared with facts and law and guarded the interests of the state very scrupulously and diligently.” ACJ Desai, as a lawyer between 2006-2009, was also appointed as central government standing counsel and was empanelled as advocate of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited and Gujarat Electricity Board.