While his rates may be higher—indeed, they ought to be—particularly at the stage of final hearings, which are unmistakably his forte, it is essential to understand what one receives in return. Too often, among the so-called top five or ten seniors, detailed and carefully reasoned written opinions are treated as optional luxuries rather than professional obligations. GS, however, operates in an altogether different league.

His written opinions are not only meticulous and deeply considered, but frequently bring to bear newer, relevant perspectives—something that cannot be said, with any confidence, of most at that level. They are clear, structured, and intellectually honest. And when it comes to settling drafts, he does not indulge in the superficial edits that pass for diligence elsewhere. He overhauls them—entirely. What you receive is not a document that has been lightly adjusted, but one that has been fundamentally reworked, both in structure and substance, into something genuinely usable.

Taken as a whole, his fees are not merely justified—they are, in fact, supremely reasonable. Were one to somehow extract this degree of rigour, care, and commitment from others in that same bracket, the resulting bill would almost certainly carry a few additional zeros.

There is also the question of character, which in any serious profession ought not to be treated as incidental. GS is, quite simply, a good man—deeply ethical at his core. One cannot help but feel he is the sort of mind and temperament the Supreme Court of India would have benefited from, but did not receive - with him as a judge.

All of which makes him something of a rarity: a lotus in a severely polluted pond. Untouched by the surrounding murk, and all the more remarkable for it.