If history remembers me, let it be said that I stood with the people: Adv Suresh Pakale

Advocate Pakale initially practiced under Shri A.J. Deshmukh, a labour lawyer. In 1985, he shifted to the High Court, and within two years, he began receiving good cases. In this journey, he received guidance, support, and blessings of many distinguished personalities. Among them, he recalls, Late Kamalakar Laxman Walawalkar, Sadguru Sadanand Saraswati, Dr. Y.V. Chandrachud, K.K. Singhvi, and Shri Shekhar Naphade.who shaped his journey.

In his speech Pakale ,”I am overwhelmed with emotion today. As a lawyer, I have spent my entire life speaking before courts for so many people, but rarely do I get the opportunity to speak about myself. For more than forty years, the courtroom has been my field of work, my school and my temple. I began this journey with the belief that advocacy is not merely a profession, but a sacred responsibility towards society.”

He recalls ,”Over these forty years, I had the privilege of representing not thousands but lakhs of people. Many hands supported me, including K.K. Singhvi, Shri Chandrachud, Ashok Desai, Justice Dhanuka, and Justice P.N. Desai. A major milestone was the pension case around 2000, where we succeeded in helping nearly 70,000 -80,000 teachers receive old pension benefits.”

He added “For forty years, I have stood at the bar with only one purpose—not for power, not for privilege, not for fame, but for justice. And if history remembers me, let it be said that I stood with the people. Because in the final court of conscience, every advocate must answer: did you stand with the powerful, or with the people? I chose the people.

Former chief justice of India Justice D. Y. Chandrachud recalls memories with  advocate Suresh Pakale.

“Suresh has truly been the voice of the voiceless, the strength behind those who, in the ordinary course of life, would neither have access to justice nor the means to articulate their grievances. He has consistently stretched the limits of his own capabilities in the pursuit of justice, and in doing so, he embodies the transformative power of the law and the Constitution. Suresh’s life has been a continuous testament to that commitment dedicated to representing those who would otherwise remain unheard – teachers, workers, hawkers. This defines him not merely as a lawyer, but as a deeply humane individual.”