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Mr. Justice Kashinath Trimbak
Telang, M.A. LL.B. : Was unquestionably the most versatile and
brilliant of the Judges of the Bombay High Court. His whole career
was remarked by exceptional precocity. Born in 1850, he died in
1892. Within this short span of a little over 40 years, his life
was packed with varied and brilliant achievements in diverse fields.
He practiced as an advocate on the Original Side of the High Court.
Mr. Inverarity who cam in close contact with him, regarded him as
head and shoulders above all his Indian contemporaries at the Bar,
both as lawyer and as a public speaker. His courtesy, modesty, candour
and good humour, his fluent and graceful English attracted
his European colleagues. At the Bar, he was distinguished
for his knowledge of Hindu Law, where his Sanskrit learning gave
him a special advantage. It is noteworthy that both at the Bar,
and later in his judgments from the Bench, he brought his knowledge
of Sanskrit and his legal learning to bear upon the liberalisation
and modernisation of Hindu law to make it elastic and progressive.
On the death of Mr. Justice Nanabhai Haridas in 1889, Mr. Telang
was appointed Judge of the High Court at the remarkable age of 38.
Mr. Telang was also an educationist and a staunch champion of English
and liberal education. He was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor at
the age of 36 and was the first and youngest Indian Vice-Chancellor
of Bombay University. His untimely death caused universal regret.
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