Etching legacy in hearts

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Former union Home minister Shivraj Patil Chakurkar passed away on Friday early morning. Lokmat Times met few individuals who closely knew him during his early legal career in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (erstwhile Aurangabad) remember him with deep respect and affection. They recall not only his brilliance in the legal field but also his humility, integrity, and lasting human connections. The following recollections from Adv. Sukhdev Shelke and Hemant Kapadia shed light on the profound impact he left on those around him.

He was an ideal person

Adv. Sukhdev Shelke (85, Veteran High Court Lawyer):

I was a student of MP Law College and passed out in 1968. He taught us Constitutional Law. After completing his LL.M, he joined our college as a faculty member and simultaneously worked as a junior to the city’s veteran lawyer, Adv. Khushalrao Motale, who practised in the District and Sessions Court. He worked with him for about a year. In all, he spent only a couple of years in the city before moving on to a career in politics. We shared a cordial Guru–Shishya relationship.

Later, when I served as the Dean of the Law Faculty at the then Marathwada University (1979–81), I was also the Secretary of the Law Teachers’ Association. During that period, we had invited him to grace the national-level convention of law teachers in 1980. By then, he was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He attended the event along with the union Law Minister, P. Shiv Shankar.

When he was the union Home Minister, he visited the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court for a function. However, due to an emergency situation in the country, he had to leave midway and rush back to Delhi. His death has created a void that can never be filled.

He maintained the bond of relationship

Hemant Kapadia (70, Electrical Consultant):

During my college days, he had begun his legal career in this historic city. After the 1960s, he joined my father, veteran lawyer Adv. Arunchandra Kapadia, as a junior. He worked with my father for about a year or two before returning to his hometown to enter politics. He was studious, soft-spoken, highly intelligent, and always chose his words carefully—tol-mol-ke bol.

One thing I would especially like to highlight is that he consistently maintained his bond with my father. Regardless of his rising political stature, whenever he visited the city, he would call my father to inquire about his whereabouts and health. If possible, he would take time out of his busy schedule to visit our home and meet him. My father passed away in July 2025.