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On Saturday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks inside the Bombay High Court Museum, a dedicated curated space on the ground floor of the court building, he will get to see barrister certificates of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi issued in 1891 and of Muhammad Ali Jinnah issued in 1896. The legal identity was required to practise on the “Original Side of the High Court” in its early years.
The museum, in the making for the past two months, will have a special section showcasing these barrister certificates, which will include those of luminaries like Dr B R Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Vithalbhai Patel, K M Munshi and the first chief justice of India M C Chagla, among others.
The museum, marked by a simple plaque over the wooden door, will be inaugurated by the prime minister on Saturday.
The museum is a brainchild of Rajan Jayakar, curator and a practising advocate for 44 years. The idea of having a permanent museum came to Jayakar while he was curating an exhibition of centuries-old artifacts for the 150 years celebrations of the High Court in 2012.
“The exhibition was held thrice on public demand. On our request, the then Chief Justice allotted an empty courtroom for having a permanent museum,” says Jayakar.
A proposal was then mooted to the Central Museum Committee, which finances new museums. While the application still remains pending, the state government pitched in with funds for the museum. “There are historical documents and antiques from the time of the inception of the court,” he informs.
The first court held here was the Mayor’s Court, which functioned between 1726 and 1798. The Recorder’s Court followed next and was in existence till 1824. Then there was Supreme Court of Bombay, between 1824 and 1862, which later turned into the Bombay High Court in 1862. “All documents and records of all these courts will be on display”, says Jayakar.
A prominent portion of the museum is dedicated to these documents which sketch the historical chronology and inception of the Bombay High Court.
The space will also showcase handwritten applications and signature of Lokmanya Tilak when he was being tried here, besides many other precious legal documents.
According to Jayakar, the “star attraction” is an 18th century cannon, besides other artifacts, which includes an antique gun. “The gun had been lying in the court’s compound for years after the Fort of Bombay was demolished in 1865,” says Jayakar.
A section that promises nostalgia is a courtroom modelled on the lines of a 1900 courtroom. “This section captures the mood back then in 1900 when electricity had just been introduced. There is a cloth fan above the judge’s chair, old light fittings with wooden blades,” says Jayakar.
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