The Bombay Tax Bar Is The Best Tax Bar In The Country: Hon’ble Chief Justice Mohit S. Shah

Hon’ble Shri. Mohit S. Shah, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, retired from judicial office on 9th September 2015. To mark the occasion and to felicitate the learned Judge, a function was organized by the Bombay Tax Bar. The function was graced by several sitting and retired judges of the Bombay High Court and also by distinguished members of the Bar.

The learned Chief Justice candidly revealed that he is fascinated by the nuances and intricacies of income-tax law and that he joined the LL.M course with the specific purpose of conducting a formal study of Nani Palkhivala’s treatise “The Law & Practice of Income-tax Law”. The learned judge also revealed that he was in awe of Nani Palkhivala’s mastery at making complex issues sound simple and that he never missed an opportunity to attend Nani Palkhivala’s speeches on the Union Budget and that he would listen spellbound to the late Jurist.

One can get a glimpse of the learned Judge’s deep interest in income-tax law from the fact that during his tenure of five years as Chief Justice, he presided over the Tax Bench on a number of occasions and was party to several landmark judgements such as DIT(E) vs. Jamshetji Tata Trust 362 ITR 357, Vodafone India Services (P.) Ltd. vs. Union of India 369 ITR 511, Rashmikant Kundalia vs. Union of India 373 ITR 268, Talati & Panthaky Associated (P.) Ltd vs. DCIT 362 ITR 362.

The members of the Bar heaped rich praise on the learned Chief Justice. The speakers appreciated the courteous and pleasant demeanour of the learned Judge and the fact that he treated all parties in a fair and even-handed manner. It was particularly appreciated that the learned judge was very supportive of the younger members of the Bar and went out of his way to encourage them whenever they appeared in his lordship’s court.

The members of the Bar presented a “Scroll of Honour” to the learned Chief Justice to record the appreciation of the Bar at the distinguished service rendered by the learned judge to cause of justice and the development of tax laws.

The learned Chief Justice was in turn appreciative of the contribution of the Bombay Tax Bar. He appreciated the fact that the members of the Bar are always thoroughly prepared on facts and law and that they contribute to the speedy and effective disposal of the matters with their short and precise submissions.

“The Bombay Tax Bar is among the best of the tax bars in the country” the learned Chief Justice remarked.

A few photographs taken on the occasion can be viewed here.

We wish the learned judge good luck in his future endeavours.