Advocate’s day is celebrated in our country on 3rd day of December every year to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Rajendra Prasad(3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963), the First President of India and a very eminent lawyer.
Rajendra Prasad was an Indian independence activist, lawyer, scholar and subsequently, the first President of India, in office from 1950 to 1962.
A supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad was imprisoned by British authorities during the Salt Satyagraha of 1931 and the Quit India movement of 1942. After the 1946 elections, Prasad served as Minister of Food and Agriculture in the central government. Upon independence in 1947, Prasad was elected as President of the Constituent Assembly of India, which prepared the Constitution of India and served as its provisional parliament.
When India became a republic in 1950, Prasad was elected its first president by the Constituent Assembly. Although a ceremonial head of state, Prasad encouraged the development of education in India and advised the Nehru government on several occasions.
In 1957, Prasad was re-elected to the presidency, becoming the only president to serve two full terms. Prasad stayed in office for the longest term of around 12 years.
He died on 28 February 1963, aged 78. Rajendra Smriti Sangrahalaya in Patna is dedicated to him. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award.
Significant Role Played by Advocates in Society
Advocates have been instrumental in spearheading movements in the society for a positive change. In modern times lawyers in various countries have given leadership to their nations. In the great American and French Revolutions many of the leading figures were lawyers. Abraham Lincoln, the great American President during the American Civil war was a lawyer, and so was Robespierre, the great French leader during the French Revolution, Lenin, the great leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917 was a student of law. Prominent freedom fighters belonged to the legal fraternity and played a leading part in the framing of our Constitution. Gandhiji, Pandit Nehru, Dr.Ambedkar, Alladi Krishnaswami Iyer, K.M.Munshi to mention just a few. Lawyers gave up their practice to join the freedom movement and many of them went to jail.
Being a lawyer is not easy, it demands lots of hard work, dedication and devotion. The advocate is considered to be an officer of the Court. He not only owes a duty to his client but also to the Court, to assist the Court to the best of his ability in the administration of justice. The legal profession is considered to be a learned profession. The Advocates’ Profession is a unique profession in the sense that the members of the legal profession are pitched against each other to fight for the cause of their clients in search of truth and justice.
