Attorney General for India R. Venkataramani delivered an eloquent and deeply reflective address at the launch of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s books “The Bench, the Bar and the Bizarre” and “The Lawful and the Awful” at Bharat Mandapam, describing the works as far more than collections of humorous legal anecdotes.
Speaking before an audience comprising judges, senior advocates, and members of the legal fraternity from across the country, Venkataramani said the books reveal “the subtle and lesser-studied dimensions of doing justice,” while uncovering the “weird and lesser-known crises of human nature” that emerge within courtrooms and legal systems.
The Attorney General said he spent nearly seven hours reading the books over early mornings and late nights, marveling at the amount of time and research Mehta must have devoted to compiling the material. According to him, the books chronicle not merely amusing stories, but meaningful reflections on the functioning of justice between the Bench and the Bar.
Rejecting the notion that the books were light or non-intellectual works, Venkataramani humorously remarked that he was filing a “counter affidavit” against such an interpretation, saying the titles themselves were deceptive.
“They are not mere chronicles or stories of passing relevance,” he observed, adding that every anecdote in the books was “couched in respectful but revealing prose” that captured courtroom drama, judicial adventure, and instances of justice and misdelivery alike.
The Attorney General noted that the books invite readers to reflect on how human behaviour, invisible impulses, technology, and institutional culture influence the justice delivery system. He particularly praised the chapters dealing with Artificial Intelligence, social media, and changing courtroom behaviour, observing that Mehta had chosen an accessible and engaging style over heavily academic discourse.
In one of the lighter moments of the evening, Venkataramani clarified that his own speech was “not a product of ChatGPT,” drawing laughter from the audience.
He also highlighted Mr Mehta’s extensive references to former US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, describing the discussions around judicial philosophy, constitutional interpretation, and institutional boundaries as “deeply instructive” for modern constitutional democracies.
Describing the books as layered and reflective works, the Attorney General compared them to grapes that could be consumed whole with both the outer and inner layers together offering “juicy reflections and comments.”
Praising Mr Mehta’s literary craft, AG said the Solicitor General had successfully transformed courtroom experiences and legal battles into meaningful stories and broader reflections on law and justice.
He concluded his address with a poetic tribute to the books and their author:
“Intellectually awful, jurisprudentially lawful.
Stories collected awful, the intent suggested lawful.
The pen which wrote is lawful.”
The Attorney General expressed confidence that the books would find readers not only within India, but across the world, and predicted that Tushar Mehta would soon be invited globally to speak on serious legal questions through wit, storytelling, and humour.