One word can tilt entire case: Author of legal bible

NEW DELHI - A 2,000-page legal bible with 40,000 cross-references to Supreme Court judgments of the past 60 years will serve the interests of both the judicial fraternity and litigants alike and its importance can be gauged from the fact that a single word can turn an entire case around, its author says.

“The book has been compiled in such a manner that any Supreme Court judgment since 1950 can be traced on the basis of a single word,” T.L. Garg, who has been an advocate-on-record in the Supreme Court since 1974, told IANS of the two-volume “Legal Bible - Supreme Court on Words, Phrases and Legal Expressions” that took him 25 years to compile.

“This word is annotated with the court’s observations, the names of the parties involved, the case number, the relevant page number of the AIR (All India Reporter) and the paragraph number. Thus, all this can be located on the basis of one word,” he explained.

“Thus, petitioners and lawyers can easily locate legal precedents on the basis of a single word. In the legal profession, the interpretation of one word can do miracles or can prove disastrous to one’s case,” Garg, whose lawyer son Rohan Garg assisted in the compilation, added.

“The book is the result of my 36-year career in the legal profession,” he said of the work that is currently under print and is due for a July release.

According to the author, consulting different books for citations “may not be a feasible option for any lawyer. But if he gets a book with all the relevant citations along with the word he is looking for, his purpose is achieved and he will be able to do justice not only to his client but also towards his profession”.

Asked how he thought of compiling this work, Garg said: “The need for such a book arose when I was dealing with a food adulteration case wherein curd made from milk and skimmed milk has different interpretations.”

“To prove my point I had to consult so many books that I got the idea to prepare a handy bible for lawyers and litigants alike who are looking for proper citations linked with a particular word,” he pointed out.

The tome will also work wonders for litigants, the author said.

“It will be a boon for a litigant who wants to focus on his case and wants to know the latest or the oldest apex court rulings focusing on various words with different interpretations,” Garg said.