Senior Advocate Sunil Manohar Warns: Lying in Court Kills a Lawyer's Morality
In a powerful address on professional ethics, senior advocate Sunil Manohar declared that lying in the court destroys the very morality of a lawyer. Manohar delivered this critical message during a lecture titled 'Professional Ethics and Courtroom Etiquettes' for the Vinod Bobde Memorial High Court Bar Association Study Circle in Nagpur on Tuesday.
Ethics as Innate Virtues vs. Learned Etiquettes
Manohar drew a sharp distinction between etiquettes and ethics, arguing that while etiquettes are learned manners, ethics are innate virtues that cannot be taught or studied. "Ethics must reside in a lawyer's blood," he asserted, emphasizing their fundamental role in the legal profession.
To illustrate this point, he used a philosophical experiment involving a hypothetical button that grants infinite power at the cost of a farmer's life. "None of us would press it," Manohar stated, defining ethics as an instinctive refusal to engage in unfair or unjust actions. He warned against what he termed "whitewashed hypocrisy," where a practitioner may appear professional on the surface but lacks essential qualities like mercy and justice.
The Peril of Moral Decay and the Importance of Conscience
The veteran lawyer cautioned that moral decay follows a spiraling downward slide once a lawyer chooses petty gains over integrity. "The first slip is the way to hell," Manohar warned, highlighting how initial compromises can lead to a complete erosion of ethical standards.
He stressed that while a lawyer might eventually lose a case, a client, or even the court's favor, they must never lose their conscience. "Protecting one's own conscience is paramount to maintaining a clear character," he added, underscoring the sacred foundation of law.
Advocating for Broad Learning and True Etiquette
Quoting the famous poet Alexander Pope, Manohar reminded the audience that "little learning is a dangerous thing." He urged lawyers to drink largely from the spring of wisdom by reading beyond legal texts, delving into history, mathematics, and literature to sharpen their logic and reasoning skills.
Manohar also clarified that true etiquette is not a performance or something that can be merely learned. "It is about constant learning and self-improvement," he said, noting that this approach helps preserve the integrity of the legal system. The programme was held at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court auditorium, where Manohar's insights resonated deeply with attendees.
