Nagpur: “It is a high profile post, naturally the prospect is scary…. I shall be occupying post held earlier by Sunil Manohar, Manohar Senior and Bhausaheb Bobde. It is a honour as well as a big responsibility” said Advocate Aney, while speaking exclusively to Nagpur Today hours after news of his appointment was made public.
It is learnt from sources that the CM, Devendra Fadnavis had been coaxing Advocate Shreehari Aney to take up this post for the last 4 months ( ever since Sunil Manohar resigned suddenly) but he has been hesitant.With reason, perhaps.
Anyone who has known Shreehari and been reading his blogs and essays will know that he is outspoken and doesn’t hesitate in calling a spade a spade. He has opposed the Government’s stance on many issues – the latest being the controversial Sedition law that Maharashtra Govt. was derided for all over the country.
He is also a known Vidarbha-wadi though he moved to Mumbai some decades ago after having practised in Nagpur branch of Bombay High Court for some time. It was at that time that he had taken up cudgels on behalf of the Gowaris who had been killed in that horrific stampede near zero milestone in Nagpur. Fighting for the cause of Vidarbha is in his blood since he is the grandson of Bapuji Aney, one of the first leaders of the separate Vidarbha movement.
We, in Nagpur are glad that another distinguished Nagpurian will be occupying a high position in Mumbai now. So what if we do not get Vidarbha? Vidarbhites will capture Mumbai!
Speaking about Shreehari personally, he is an astute lawyer, an intellectual par excellence and has a grasp on not just Indian laws but also the whole Judicial system of the country. To mix metaphors we can say, he has a bird’s eye view of the entire scenario but he is also not one to miss the trees for the forest!
He is married to Vijaylaxmi Aney, known in short as Viju, who is another very intelligent lawyer. She has devoted herself to the field of education however. They have only one son Madhav, who is not a lawyer!
… Sunita Mudliyar
