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Sir Basil Scott,
M.A.(Oxon.),
Bar-at-Law.: Sir Basil
Scott succeeded Sir Lawrence Jenkins as Chief Justice in 1908.His Lordship
was then the Advocate-General. His Lordship held office from 1908 till
1919. Sir Basil Scott was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, he came out
as a barrister to practice in the Bombay High Court, in 1884, where
his uncle, Basil Lang, was already leading in practice. Scott soon
acquired a large practice; and after acting as Advocate-General on more occasions
than one, became permanent Advocate-General about 1903, on the retirement
of Lang. His Lordship acted for some months as Puisne Judge
in 1906; and in 1908 on the retirement of Sir Lawrence Jenkins, Mr.
Scott was appointed as the Chief Justice. As a Judge, he was earnest
and fair-minded. His Lordship's judgments were generally short, lucid and
to the point. But he had the misfortune to see a number of his decisions
reversed by the Privy Council. Although he had to some extent the prevailing
prejudices of the Anglo-Indians of his time, he was not narrow in his outlook.
His Lordship showed his fair-mindedness and judicial impartiality on many
memorable occasions.
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