Can anyone enlighten me about the leading Senior Advocates practicing criminal law in the Calcutta High Court for a possible internship (and a potential transition to joining as a junior)? I’m looking for names of senior counsels who are great mentors offering valuable learning experiences.

There are plenty of threads on the criminal litigation scene in Bombay and Delhi, but Calcutta remains somewhat underexplored.

Thanks in advance! (Also, sarcastic responses are welcome for wit, after all, is a great signifier of wisdom.)

I’m only in my second year, but here’s what I’ve learned. If you're studying outside Calcutta, breaking into chambers here is tough. Calcutta University law students intern year-round, thanks to lax attendance rules, and they turn that into jobs. For outsiders (whether from a Tier 1, Tier 2, or non-NLU) it’s a different story. The issue isn’t competition; there’s barely a culture of taking interns in the first place.

From my limited experience, having interned in Calcutta twice (including at a Senior’s chamber) and later at a policy firm in Delhi, I’ve seen the difference. I also have an internship lined up with a reputed AoR after my second year, so I’ll likely be in a better position to compare. But in most Calcutta chambers, there’s little meaningful work for interns, and at times, it makes you wonder if the entire process is just a waste of time. This is where local colleges have an advantage. They have more free time and can afford to sit idle longer. Ironically, that works in their favour.

As for criminal lawyers worth their salt - Phiroze Edulji (recently designated) is excellent. Sandipan Ganguly and Milon Mukherjee are a pleasure to watch in court. Not strictly criminal, but if you can get into S.N. Mookherjee’s chambers, please do it. The man is an inspiration.

[To be clear, I’m only talking about jobs through internships. Otherwise, it mostly comes down to contacts and direct applications. And honestly, applications rarely ever get called for.]