The second season of the Lawsuits Premier League (LPL), India’s first structured futsal league exclusively for practising lawyers and legal professionals, was officially launched at Le Meridien, New Delhi, in the presence of Judges of the Delhi High Court, members of the Bar, and senior legal practitioners.
The league, an initiative of Peritia Law Chamber and Dheeraj & Co., aims to promote the physical, emotional and mental well-being of lawyers through sport while strengthening camaraderie within the legal fraternity.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Justice Saurabh Banerjee, Justice Vivek Chaudhary, Justice Jasmeet Singh and Justice Neena Krishan Bansal of the Delhi High Court, among other dignitaries. The tournament features 16 teams comprising over 150 practising advocates, with teams owned by several leading Senior Advocates, including Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Maninder Singh, Kirti Uppal, Rajshekhar Rao, C.M. Lal and Vikas Pahwa.
Addressing the gathering, Justice Vivek Chaudhary described the league as a unique initiative for the legal fraternity and praised the organisers for successfully taking the tournament into its second season.
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“I have not seen lawyers’ football teams anywhere in any High Court as yet. Cricket is common, but lawyers playing football, a game that demands immense energy and endurance is something truly unique”, he remarked.
Congratulating the organisers, Justice Chaudhary said the enthusiasm surrounding the second edition reflected the league’s growing popularity.
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“The excitement around the second season itself shows that the initiative is here to stay. I congratulate everyone associated with it and wish all the participating teams the very best. May the best team win,” he said.
Justice Saurabh Banerjee also lauded the initiative and used the occasion to make a passionate appeal for greater support to Indian football.
Sharing an inspiring story, he referred to a football coach from Punjab who had left his job to train a school football team, which recently scripted history by winning eight consecutive matches and defeating a Brazilian school team in an international tournament.
Urging the legal fraternity to support grassroots football, Justice Banerjee encouraged the audience to learn more about the coach’s efforts and highlighted his appeal for government funding to train India’s Under-15 football team.
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“India may not yet feature prominently in world football, but Indians have tremendous passion and potential. Please support people like him so that Indian football can grow and reach greater heights,” Justice Banerjee said.
He concluded by wishing all participating teams success for the season, encouraging them to play with enthusiasm and sportsmanship.