English National

Gautam Khaitan pays tribute to the vanguard of modern India

Sumit Ghosh

The family patriarch, Devi Prasad Khaitan was a legendary lawyer and a member of the the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly that the drafted the Indian Constitution

New Delhi, [India] : While lauding the stalwarts of the Indian Constitution-making process, managing partner of OP Khaitan & Co — Gautam Khaitan remembers one of his great-grandfathers Devi Prasad Khaitan as the vanguard of the Indian legal profession this Republic Day. An illustrious lawyer and prominent statesman, DP Khaitan enjoyed the rare honour of being one of the architects of our Constitution.

A pioneer of modern Indian law, DP Khaitan was born on August 14, 1888. He graduated first class in law from the prestigious Presidency College of Calcutta along with some of the most brilliant minds that includes Rajendra Prasad, BadridasGoenka, and JN Mazumdar amongst others. At a time when racial discrimination was at its peak, it was difficult for him to kickstart his career with a British firm. Consequently, he joined Manuel and Agarwalla.

Known for his oratorical and argumentative skills, he attracted the attention of the whole legal fraternity including the Chief Justice on one fine day while arguing a case as a junior under the legendary DeshbandhuChittaranjan Das. As the clients started pursuing him in incredible numbers, young DP Khaitan with his with his brothers went on to establish Khaitan & Co and the rest is history.

“Being a Marwari, entrepreneurship was naturally ingrained in him. His practical advice had the biggest names in Calcutta turning to him for legal counsel. Moreover, he co-founded the Indian Chamber of Commerce in 1925 and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries with Sir PurushottamdasThakurdas and GD Birla in 1926,” says Gautam Khaitan.

He said that out of all DP Khaitan’s astonishing achievements, being a member of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly is the greatest of honours for his family. “It is really a great honour Interestingly, the Constitution we have today clearly reflects the ideas of all of our founding fathers.”

“We are proud of this nation and The Constitution of India is the backbone of this beautifully diverse country. This peace, tranquility, and progress would not have been possible without such a beautiful Constitution which attempted to balance the interests of a vibrantly diverse population. I would like to pay homage to all of the Constituent Assembly members who took so much pain to bring us a document that still stands tall today”

Gautam Khaitan is the managing partner of OP Khaitan & Co and is a well-known face in the legal fraternity. OP Khaitan & Co was founded by his father and distinguished lawyer OP Khaitan in 1991.