Sir Leonard Stone succeeded Sir Beaumont as Chief Justice
of the High Court of Bombay and assumed charge of the office on
September 30, 1943. His Lordship was the 12th and the last
English Chief Justice of Bombay.
Sir Leonard Stone was born in November 1896 and received his early
education at Malvern College, and when the Great War broke out he
joined the Colours in 1914. From 1919 to 1922 he held various
staff and administrative appointments in the New East. His Lordship
practised in the Chancery Division where he had achieved a
distinct position with flourishing practice. His Lordship
had appeared in several appeals before the Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council.
In 1942, shortly before His Lordship came to Bombay and was
appointed a Bencher of Gray's Inn. His
Lordship made a strong, independent and conscientious Judge, but
his judicial career was must too brief to leave any permanent mark on
the Judicial history of Bombay. His Lordship resigned on India
attaining Independence in 1947. The strange eventful history of 85
years of the British period of the Bombay High Court, was enacted on
the night of the 14th of August 1947. On that memorable night, the
members of the Original and the Appellate Side Bar, Solicitors,
Officers and the entire staff of the High Court, as well as a large
number of other gentlemen and ladies gathered in the Central Court at
about 11.35p.m. The last British Chief Justice, Sir Leonard
Stone, and the other judge took their seats at 11.45 p.m. A
temporary flag-post was put up near the seat occupied by the Chief
Justice. The Chief Justice Sir Leonard Stone addressed the gathering:
At about 11.59 p.m., the Chief Justice requested the gathering to
stand in silent prayer for a minute. Just at the stroke of 12, he
unfurled the National Flag on the flag post; and simultaneously, a
larger Flag was hoisted on the flag staff of the High Court building
outside. The Chief Justice, who was in full Ceremonial Court
dress, then saluted the Flag, and the other Judges who were in bands
and gowns bowed before it. The twelve Englishmen complete the
tale of British Chief Justices of the Bombay High Court.
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