Those who render justice in truthful manner know that justice is essential requirement for a Government. So says Gurbani 'Raje Chuli Niav Ki'.

As in other professions, in legal profession too, the Sikhs have made a name. Th e number of Sikh lawyers in India as well as other countries is so large that it is not possible to give illustrations by selecting a few names. Th ere have been many Sikh Advocates who were later on appointed as judges of High Court as well as Supreme Court of India. For example, S. R.S. Narula remained Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court (He was also Governor of Haryana for sometime) and had also earned a name in practice. Th ere have been many other Sikhs who became judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court, and some of them became prominent because of their activities aft er retirement. Justice Harbans Singh was later on associated with Gurudwara elections, whereas Justice Ajit Singh Bains won a name in respect of his bold decisions on human rights. He was the Chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organization and was bold enough to protect the rights of the Sikhs who were facing tortures during the black period of Punjab in the last century. When he was entrusted with the task of making an inquiry into the arrests made in the State during the last four years (ordered by S. Barnala, the C.M. on October 1, 1985), he did a thorough job to protect the citizen's fundamental right to liberty, vital for a democratic set up. For his truthful and bold actions, Justice Bains had also to suff er, but he remained fi rm in his views and convictions. In Supreme Court also, the Sikh judges were known for their boldness and fairness. Justice R.S. Sarkaria later on headed the famous Sarkaria Commission. Justice Kuldeep Singh of Supreme Court will always be remembered for his bold decisions. Apart from Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Sikh Judges got tremendous applause in other courts also. For example S. Pritam Singh Safeer (a renowned Punjabi writer) and Justice Jaspal Singh in Delhi High Court, Justice S.S. Sodhi, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court and Justice J.S. Khehar, Chief Justice of Karnatka High Court, they were all famous for their qualities of fairness, boldness and human approach. In foreign countries also, whereas the Sikh advocates like T. Sher Singh won name and fame, Justice Mota Singh of England too had a roaring practice before he was appointed as Queen's Counsel and later on as a Judge in the British Circuit Court. Justice Mota Singh was not the only Sikh to have become Queen's Counsel. In fact, late Dr. Pritam Singh was the fi rst coloured person in the British history to be appointed as Queen's Counsel in 1976. Similarly, the youngest so appointed so far is also a Sikh named S. Manjit Singh Gill who is a reputed advocate on human rights law. He has handled several cases on racial equality in many countries and has also appeared before United Nations Human Rights Committee. He was only 39 years old when he was appointed Queen's Counsel. Justice Choor Singh Siddhu was the fi rst Sikh Judge of Singapore Supreme Court. He has also written books on Sikh History including one on S. Maharaja Singh, the great Sikh freedom fi ghter. For the purpose of illustrations, we have taken some of the Judges as our role-model for this category.