I have immense pleasure to write this forward to Dr. Clarance Miranda on coming to know that he is opening a website namely “mirandaandmiranda.com”. And also I came to know that this is the first web among the lawyers fraternity in our State. I like to bless him with this forward note as requested by the other members of this Bar. Every one can have their doubts cleared through this site free of cost.
Being a better scholar on the criminal side he was selected to Kesvy & Company Lawyers which contributed many High court Judges and established by his Lordship Justice E. S. Venkataramiah the 19th Chief Justice of India. But unfortunately he had to come back with in a few days due to the illness of his father Sri. Issac Miranda a retired Singapore defence personnel. He got transferred to bar Council of Kerala thereafter.
He worked hard under the Juniorship of Sri. Sasthmangalam S Ajith Kumar for about more than seven years. He came in the early morning by first bus and goes by the last bus. If he misses will stay in the office itself in his early years. He has got a wide knowledge even on the medical jurisprudence and I had occasion to witness that he cross examined Dr.Umadethanfor hours together in a murder trial regarding Superimposition he conducted and Miranda could establish the case in his favour ended in acquittal. I had also many occasions to conduct sessions trials along with him for my co accused. I am much impressed with his way of opening up his defence. He even once admitted the murder in cross examination and bargained for manslaughter part II and the case ended with a sentence of fine only. With in a year of his practice he could emerge as a sessions lawyer in Trivandrum by doing cases for his senior and became known to the bar.
I also heard 100s of stories like this on Miranda. He strongly advocated that saying wits in the courts are one of the seven things to be maintained in professional ethics. It was practiced even in the ecclesiastical courts, according to him.
I also remember one incident that happened 2 years back now pending as sessions case No 100/ 2010 pending before the Principle sessions Court. In that case commercial quantity of Heroine was involved. [ Practically No Bail ] The brother of the accused produced bail of the High Court before him with sureties and a luccarative fee. He perused the order and found some mistakes unlike the other orders. Instead of executing the order he asked the client to wait and immediately went to the CJM Court and interfered with the proceedings and requested the Magistrate to forward the order to Vanchiyoor Police immediately. The latter registered crime for various offences and investigated the case into, against the accused and his brother. The end of the story I am not narrating. Relinquishing Vakkalths for the solemnity of justice is the quality rarest seen in a practicing lawyer and no busy practicing lawyer can have time to be an academician writing books like Miranda On Criminal Major Acts.
He never misbehaved with the bench nor to the bar much less towards the senior members. I had occasions to see he will jump from his official chair and never sits in front of a senior member of the bar or a senior clerk while they visits his office. He maintains a very good rapport with the clerk association and to the public prosecutors and also never quarrels with the police personals who comes against him as prosecution witnesses. At the same time he defended many highest police officers in their alleged offences committed while discharging their official duties.
He also spent time for teaching other members for Judicial Service Examinations with special classes during the whole night in his home with out any remuneration but providing all facilities for months together. The District and Sessions Judge late Mr. P K Baburajan was one of his students. He has got a particular concern over the weaker section of the community. After having fed up with Abkari trials he took many steps to rehabilitate many of them with in the limits of Thumba police Station by stopping their illicit trades with the help of police and other social agencies. During that period he never took up NDPS trials for years together in spite of the fact that he had been conducting such trials in all the three sessions courts at a time.
In another occasion I asked why don’t you argue your case in extenso without pleading mercy on bail petitions so that the young generation would learn something, he answered “Sir am not a lawyer to do anarchy to the judiciary. If I question the investigation at this stage by the provisions of law, every lawyer will start arguing the same law point and it will affect the law and order. We must also help the Prosecutors and the Judges to see that the law and order is geared and protected and safe in their hands”.
He respects his senior more than anything in his life and I request every junior member should be like that. I remember his book releasing day. I requested and compelled his senior to come to the dais and talk. He addressed the function and spoke. “ All of you may ask me what I have achieved from this profession. I achieved him, I give this boy to You. I have nothing to say ”. He stopped with tears of joy.
The then District and Sessions Judge Mr. D Papachan who inaugurated the release, declared holiday on that day and said, every lawyer should keep this book under the pillow as a Bible. That much effort and pain Miranda has taken on that book especially on the fact that at the time, no digest was published for our reference in the Kerala scenario but he could do the gist of all the Kerala High Court Decisions with out leaving a single verdict till date and important Supreme courts. His comments on all the important sections in all the three major statutes can be equated with Kenny or other personalities. I also entrusted him to do some research works that were entrusted up on me by other agencies.
Greenery is his fascination and Nature is his weakness. Like his senior he will also disappear to hill stations with his juniors on holidays. He is also a guitarist by profession and with a thorough knowledge on both eastern and western music. He also writes and directs Bible dramas. Married to Mrs Anne D’Silva and both blessed with two daughters Mary Mishal Miranda and Dicey Carmel Miranda. He has got Mishal law Publishers on his credit. He has as many as 40 juniors with in a short span of time and blessed with a number of other juniors indirectly in our Bar who depends on him. I wish this web site will be a great success and mark a new era for other members of my Association and to the general public. You can have your doubts cleared through this site. Please make useful to yourselve.
Thanking You,
KP Jayachandran
President T B A