Contributed by Mahadev Shankar, Vinayak Pradhan, Tommy Thomas, Kamraj Nayagam, Brendan Navin Siva, Lim Chee Wee, and Chacko Vadaketh George
V C the Child
Vadaketh Chacko George (better known simply as V C George) was born on 13 December 1930 in the royal town of Klang, Selangor to school teachers, V E Chacko and Thankamma Chacko. Both his parents came from distinguished families within the Syrian Christian community of Kerala in South India. They belonged to the Mar Thoma denomination within this community.
His parents moved from Kerala to Klang, where his father taught at the Anglo–Chinese School ("ACS"). They built their own house on a three–and–a–half acre plot of land, a rubber smallholding. This home would later be known as the "Headquarters" within the community, and was often the first place new migrants to Malaya from Kerala would stay when they arrived through what was then known as Port Swettenham (now Port Klang). Later on, the family converted the property into a farm when there was no food to be had during the war.
V C went to ACS Klang from kindergarten, right through to secondary school. This included three years when it was run as a Japanese school during the Occupation. His Japanese was good enough that, at the age of 14, V C left school to work first as a Tamil–Japanese interpreter, and then as an Assistant Land Surveyor for a Japanese company. At home, his duties outside school hours were to help out at the farm and, in particular, to deliver milk on his bicycle. Upon finishing his Senior Cambridge, he went up to ACS Ipoh for a short stint while waiting to go to university. V C's father wanted him to do medicine but his Latin and Mathematics teacher, V K Arumugam, encouraged him to do law, believing he had a special aptitude for this.
V C the Student
Following his father's wishes, V C applied to do medicine at the University of Malaya in Singapore, and got admission into the Dental Faculty in 1951. Within months he knew that this was not for him. He applied to London to read law, and arrived by ship in London in April 1952 to a beautiful but freezing, snow–covered Tilbury Docks. He could not afford to go to university, and instead went straight into Lincoln's Inn (which was allowed back then). He was called to the English Bar on 2 February 1957.
It was in London that he met and forged lasting friendships with the late Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah (who taught V C how to dress like a lawyer and was later, in football parlance, to "tap up" V C for the Judiciary); Tan Sri Kam Woon Wah, former Malaysian Chinese Association ("MCA") Secretary General; the late Tan Sri C Selvarajah, former Senator and Chairman of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad ("KTM"); and the late Khoo Eng Chin. The latter two would later be his partners in two different law firms.
V C the Advocate
V C returned to Malaya after that. According to Mahadev Shankar (himself a recipient of the Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2014), V C's first port of call for a place to read in chambers was the arctic Chambers of Bradell and Ramani — "Sad to say, the imperious Radhakrishna Ramani [another recipient of the Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2015] kept V C standing as the interview proceeded. Undeterred by this, V C grabbed a chair, sat square in front of Ramani and said, 'Now Mr. Ramani, do let us continue!' That they did not. A few moments later, V C found himself back where he started. On the pavement. But he had made his point. He was not to be ignored, not ever."
V C read in chambers under T K Sen. He was called to the Malayan Bar in 1957 and joined Guha & Co in Seremban. Lawyers practising in Seremban then included Mahadev Shankar, Edgar Joseph and Balwant Singh. V C later set up a firm with his friend from student days, Khoo Eng Chin. The firm was called George & Khoo.
In 1968, he joined Shook Lin & Bok in Kuala Lumpur, and a year later joined Ng Ek Teong & Partners. His partners there, apart from Ek Teong, were student buddy C Selvarajah (later Tan Sri) and Zain Azahari (who would later set up Zain & Co). He went on to become the Managing Partner there until his elevation to the Bench.
During his time at the Bar, he practised in all branches of law — from administrative law to criminal law — but was largely concerned with commercial work, appearing regularly in the superior courts as senior counsel. V C also appeared in the Privy Council for hearings, working closely with English barristers. As an advocate, V C was regarded as a first–rate lawyer and a gentleman, always on top of his brief and polite to adversaries, the Bench and witnesses. V C has around 37 reported cases in the law reports, reflective of his industry in, and breadth of, practice as an advocate.
V C the Servant of the Bar
V C was a passionate and dedicated servant of the Bar. He was first elected to serve on the Bar Council in 1965 and was to remain there until 1981 (save for two breaks). During this time, he was elected and served as Chairman of the Selangor Bar Committee (which at that time included Kuala Lumpur) in 1972 and 1973.
V C and Chan Hua Eng were young leaders of the Bar seeking fresh leadership during a time when there were no term limits for the office of the President. During this time the Bar had a President who had served continuously for nine years. Hua Eng and V C started the convention of service as President for a maximum of two terms before this was enshrined by legislation.
V C was elected the eighth President of the Malaysian Bar, from 1974 to 1976. He continued thereafter as a member of the Bar Council until he had to resign upon his elevation to the Bench of the High Court of Malaya on 1 January 1981.
During his service to the Bar, V C served as the Chairperson of many Bar Council sub–committees, including Professional Indemnity Insurance, Subordinate Court Rules, and New Legislation. His most substantial contribution was in the drafting of the Legal Profession Act 1976 when he was the Chairperson of the Legal Profession Act Division Sub–committee.
V C the Judge
V C was the first of his generation of lawyers to be elevated to the Bench. He gave up a lucrative career at the Bar to join the Bench and to serve the country in a different capacity.
His first posting as a High Court Judge was to Kuantan, where he presided over a wide range of cases. After a few years there, V C returned to the familiar courtrooms of Kuala Lumpur as a High Court Judge.
Many practitioners remember his time in the Kuala Lumpur High Court as the first time cases were judicially managed by the Court. On Monday mornings, when cases for the week were listed, V C would come down to the table of the court clerk and call up the cases one by one. He would ask counsel questions relating to each case and then determine the schedule for the week.
V C's judicial temperament was excellent, but if counsel began to stray, bringing up irrelevant arguments or facts, he would politely ask where counsel was heading, and then bring counsel back to the issues at hand. As a trial judge V C was not interventionist, provided he had confidence in the advocates appearing before him. He would rule immediately on procedural objections, and was always polite to witnesses, making them very comfortable. When he thought witnesses were nervous, he would give them a pep talk, especially older or young witnesses.
As a High Court Judge, V C was regarded as the best trial judge in the courts of Malaysia and a standard bearer for trials. An advocate's litmus test for other trial judges was whether V C would have presided over a trial in that fashion. Losing litigants and their counsel would leave V C's courtroom knowing that they had been given a fair and impartial hearing and, upon hearing or reading his grounds of judgement, would understand the reasons for their loss.
V C expected a certain standard of competence from the Bar, and would always remember the names of lawyers appearing before him, at a time when the membership of the Bar had started to grow exponentially.
In September 1994, V C was promoted to the Court of Appeal shortly after it had been established.
We may have forgotten that in those days, there were no written submissions and no transcripts, and advocates were expected to make closing submissions immediately at the end of trial. A judge's judgement was based on his own notes.
V C has 130 reported High Court decisions and eight Court of Appeal decisions. His judgements remain a model of authority, clarity and succinctness, and are often cited by lawyers in their submissions, and generally upheld on appeal.
In March 1987, V C was conferred the title of Dato' Paduka Mahkota Selangor ("DPMS") by His Highness the Sultan of Selangor.
V C the Doyen of the Bar and Society
Upon attaining the age of 65 on 13 December 1995, V C retired from the Bench, and has thereafter been a Consultant in a law firm.
After his retirement from the Bench, V C became regarded by many in legal circles as one of the most sought–after arbitrators on the Malaysian arbitration scene. From April 1996 until today, he has completed well over 40 arbitrations (domestic and international) in respect of commercial disputes, sitting either as Sole Arbitrator or as a member of an Arbitral Tribunal.
V C's retirement from the Judiciary was a boon to the Bar, which now had the choice of appointing an arbitrator with excellent attributes. The manner in which he approached matters from the Bench was ideal for an arbitrator. He did not dominate the proceedings as some other retired judges were wont to do, and upheld the basic philosophy of party autonomy. Some retired judges who became arbitrators could not shed their former judicial manner — a condition sometimes referred to as "judgitis". Not so V C. Of course it helped that he never had that attitude even while on the Bench.
This does not mean that V C was not in control of the arbitration proceedings or conducted them with less than the firmness that was necessary. His personality, his sheer aura, would result in counsel and the witnesses behaving with proper decorum. Any departure from the behaviour expected of the parties and witnesses would be effectively dealt with.
V C has been and is an arbitrator in both domestic and international arbitrations. In recent years there have been more of the latter, showing his acceptance in the international arbitration community.
Regrettably, unlike his judgements, V C's arbitration awards are confidential, but those who have been privileged to read the awards speak highly of them.
Apart from his legal career, V C was also active in the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Royal Selangor Club (serving as its President for two terms and uniting the Club), the Olympic Council of Malaysia, the Financial Mediation Bureau, the Tun Razak Foundation, the Malaysian Mar Thoma Church of Malabar, and many Malayalee social organisations. He is also a trustee of the All Malaya Malayalee Association ("AMMA"), a true patriarch of the tribe.
In June 2012, V C was awarded the Anugerah Panglima Setia Mahkota ("PSM"), which carries the title of "Tan Sri", by His Majesty the Yang di–Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, in recognition of his contribution to the nation in general, and to the Malaysian Malayalee community in particular.
V C never forgot the Bar. When there was controversy over amendments to the disciplinary provisions of the Legal Profession Act 1976, the Bar Council and Malaysian Bar looked to him for stewardship in reviewing the amendments and advising the Bar. The Bar always looks to V C for elder statesmanship, because of its deep respect for him, and because it knows that V C possesses stability and steady hands, is people–friendly, and a known entity. He always makes it a point to know the lawyers.
V C is highly in demand as an after–dinner speaker and singer. He has a knack for feeling the pulse of the audience, talking as one of them, and making them feel good and laugh at his speeches. His charisma was such that, whenever he rose to speak, there was always a sense of occasion. At such dinners, V C the speaker, the entertainer, the singer, would walk from table to table conversing with everyone.
Personal Life
V C George is married to Puan Sri Datin Dr Rebecca George, FRCP (London), who retired as a Paediatric Consultant and Associate Professor in Paediatrics, University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. They have three children and four grandchildren.
V C has been a supportive and generous father, ensuring his children had the best education he could afford and a rich, interesting childhood, full of music and theatre, and wonderful holiday trips around Malaysia, India and the world. He is a cool "Apachen" to the grandchildren, introducing the twins to the Long Bar at the Royal Selangor Club when they were eight years old, telling them that if anyone said children were not allowed in the Bar, to loudly announce, "We are not children, we are dwarves!".
V C — the always–debonair advocate, Judge, arbitrator, husband, father, grandfather and doyen — has led a truly enchanted life. We are all privileged to be part of his journey, and delighted that he is here to accept, once more, the accolades of the Bar.
Please click:
(2) here to view the acceptance speech by V C George; and
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Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award
The Bar Council instituted the Malaysian Bar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 as a form of recognition of and appreciation for outstanding Members of the Malaysian Bar who have demonstrated particular dedication and exemplary lifetime service, and made invaluable and outstanding contributions, to the Bar.
The Award was first conferred (posthumously) on Raja Aziz Addruse, at the Malaysian Bar's Annual Dinner & Dance on 10 Mar 2012. The second, third, fourth and fifth recipients were Peter Mooney, Mahadev Shankar, Dr Radhakrishna Ramani (posthumously), and Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh (posthumously), respectively.
The Award was conferred on V C George at the Bar's Annual Dinner & Dance on 18 Mar 2017.