At the Pleasure of His Majesty: I.M. Lall and the Case That Shook the Crown (by Chander M. Lall)

The Incredible True Account of the Lone Indian Civil Servant Who Defied an Empire and Rewrote Legal History.

The year was 1948, and a landmark verdict was handed down by the Privy Council in London—the highest court of appeal for the entire British Commonwealth. For the first time in the history of the Empire, an individual subject had successfully sued and won a definitive victory against the British Crown. That subject was Inder Mohan Lall, an elite Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer who dared to cross lines with imperial authorities to protect his nation's treasures.

In At the Pleasure of His Majesty, written by his descendant and designated Senior Advocate Chander M. Lall, this high-stakes legal battle is brought to life with dramatic precision. In 1937, I.M. Lall’s unyielding stance invited the immediate wrath of the colonial government, resulting in his sudden suspension and dismissal as a district and sessions judge. What followed was an arduous, decade-long journey for justice, culminating in the historic case High Commissioner for India and High Commissioner for Pakistan vs. I.M. Lall. This single case fundamentally reshaped post-colonial governance, serving as the direct blueprint for Article 311 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees due process for civil servants. Blending rigorous courtroom history with an intimate look at what his family endured in Lahore during the chaos of Partition, this gripping biography is an essential chronicle of courage, constitutional law, and ultimate triumph.