Professional Fee of Senior Advocates at Mumbai and Kolkatta High Court Bar is charged at the rate of GMS (Gold Mohurs)

Professional Fee at the rate of GMS (Gold Mohurs)

The Bombay High Court is, probably, the only place where senior counsel, particularly experienced lawyers whose ability has been formally recognized by the judiciary, are still technically paid in Gold Mohurs, a currency introduced by the Mughals and then taken on by the British Raj, approximate 170 years old currency system.

Of course, no actual exchange of gold coins take place, but as a mark of respect for their status, solicitors record the fees of senior counsel not in rupees but in 'GMS' or Gold Mohurs (though the old British term 'Guineas' is also used), which the solicitors convert into rupees at the rate of 1 GMS = Rs 15 in Bombay and 1 GMS = Rs 17 in Kolkata.

This is the rate that has remained fixed since 1835 when the British imposed a common currency across the country, removing the discrepancy between mohurs struck in their own Bengal Presidency, which were at Rs 17 to the mohurs, and those struck in the Bombay and Madras Presidencies, which were at Rs 15.

Mohurs were struck in mints across the country and, in fact, this is what their name means. Literally, it is Farsi for 'Struck' or 'Stamped'. Can also mean 'strike' or 'stamp' as a noun.

Alternate terms were also used. The Moghuls called them 'Ashrafis', from the Arabic for 'noble' since they were struck in the noble metal, gold. The British inherited them when they were setting up their empire in the North, though in South India different coins called 'pagodas' were used.

But by 1817, the pagodas were phased out and mohurs moved towards becoming a uniform national currency. "Mohurs continued to be struck through Queen Victoria's reign weighing a tola and equivalent to Rs 15.

After the First World War the British sought to move the Empire back to the Gold Standard and coins with Rs 15 were struck in Bombay. The general impression owing to the old equation of Rs 15 to 1 mohur was to regard these as 'mohurs'. However, these coins were equivalent to the English 'sovereign' or the 'guinea' in terms of weight (7.9881 gms) and purity (91.70% gold).

In 1918 the Bombay mint struck around 2.1 m pieces. Only after the second World War, when fiduciary currency was introduced, cutting off a direct link between currency and gold reserves, did the mohur/guinea formally cease to exist.

Apparently some English lawyers still quote by the guinea, though this is an eccentricity, and the figure is taken as equivalent to a pound sterling.

It's this pleasantly eccentric regard for tradition that the Mumbai Bar seems to be following. Though there is a reason why they might consider keeping the mohur for real. Real Moghul mohurs are now, of course, worth much more than Rs 15.

In this way, we can see the tradition that Mumbai and Kolkatta Bar seems to be following for collecting their professional fee from their clients in terms of GMS (Gold Mohurs).

Source: Form the report published in TOI