Chandrachud on the Bombay High Court

Last year, Abhinav Chandrachud (Advocate, Bombay High Court) published An Independent, Colonial Judiciary: A History of the Bombay High Court during the British Raj, 1862-1947 (Oxford University Press). From the publisher:

In 2012, the Bombay High Court celebrated the 150th year of its existence. It functioned as a court of original and appellate jurisdiction during the British Raj for over 80 years, occupying the topmost rung of the judicial hierarchy in the all-important Bombay Presidency. Yet, remarkably little is known of how the court functioned during the colonial era. 

By examining the lives of the 83 judges--Britons and Indians--who served on the Bombay High Court during the colonial era, and by exploring the court's colonial past, this book attempts to understand why British colonial institutions like the Bombay High Court flourished even after India became independent. In the process, this book unravels the complex changes that took place in Indian society, the legal profession, the law, and legal culture during the colonial era.

Table of Contents after the jump.

Introduction

1 .Background
2. The Rise of the Indian Judge
3. Race, Class, and the Bombay High Court
4. The Judicial Culture of the Court
5. The Structural Peculiarities of a Colonial Judiciary
6. Independence of the Judiciary
Conclusion

Abhinav Chandrachud discusses his book on SoundCloud. More information about the book is available here.