Interview with Sarfaraz Akhtar Islam

Getting into a big corporation is surely a challenge. It was the same for Sarfaraz Akhtar Islam who is a law officer in the position of Assistant Manager of Indian Oil Corporation Limited in Guwahati, Assam dealing with Land related issues. He did his BA.LLB at Centre for Juridical Studies in Dibrugarh University, Assam, and his LLM at the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law in Patiala, Punjab.

Q. Sir, Would you like to throw some light on your educational background?

Mr. Islam: “I did my LLB in 2013 and LLM from National Law University, Patiala. I have the expertise for 2 years in the District and Civil Court dealing with civil and criminal matters after that I joined Indian Oil Corporation where it has been 4 years so currently I have 6 years of experience in the legal profession.”

It is very important to choose the field that interests you the most because then you wouldn’t have to force your mind into it and regret it later but you choose that field as it is really interesting to you and it develops the curiosity inside you to know more about it. Sarfaraz sir also talked about his interest which developed into his career now. He liked the legal profession due to which resulted in him going in that direction.

“When I was in my 10th or 12th classes, I decided that I would choose the legal profession because it attracted me a lot as the law profession is very wide and dynamic. As the field is vast you get a core perspective and there are potentials to explore more knowledge on this as a result since I was attracted to it I took LLB after completing class 12 exams.”

It is quite normal to reach the desired point in life, all you need is to go through some tough challenges, and coming out of those is a huge step. Even Sarfaraz sir faced many hurdles in life to reach his esteemed position in the corporation. It takes a lot of hard work when you go to a particular field since it is very different on a whole new level compared to the high secondary classes.

Q. Sir, how would you take a tough phase in switching your field of interest?

Mr. Islam: “I wouldn’t take it as a hurdle but challenges I have faced because switching from the normal courses of Class 10 and 12 to enter into the legal field then you are required to understand the very basics of the law. It is difficult to understand them from a laymen's perspective so a lot of hard work is needed. Clauses and their interpretations need to be read and understood thoroughly. If your basic knowledge of the law is clear then their no chance of facing any problems in the future.”

I have a key role as a legal adviser in the corporation’s legal aspect handling all cases filed against the corporation and also the other way around being anything filed by the corporation. My work includes assisting in giving legal advice to different departments on every occasion regardless of any legal issues including land and property-related issues, aiding in drafting, writing, and besides these also other things such as dealing with retail outlets, distributorships, selection issues, etc. When these processes are going on it also needs to go through the legal procedures which are dealt with on a day-to-day basis.

“One such case is related to a retail outlet which was commissioned around 20 years back. In 2013, IOC officers investigated and found that there was some malpractice regarding the product’s quantity which did not meet the parameters as it was prescribed by the guidelines given by the ministry. So accordingly a show-cause notice for termination was issued by the corporation.

The corporation took samples from the tank product and it was simultaneously sent to the laboratory where it was found that the product did not match with the standard norms required. Due to this the show cause notice was issued but the dealer challenged it to the high court single bench. He stated that it violates Articles 14 and 21 in an arbitrary nature. The Single Bench said that the product which was sent for the sample was sent to the laboratory after a lapse of 5 days. It should be done within 10 days but there was a lapse of 5 days at the corporation’s end. Since the timeline was not followed, the Single Bench dismissed IOC’s plea and the matter was thus in the dealer’s favor. IOC challenged this before the Divisional Bench who said that the single bench decision was correct. Therefore the corporation went before the Supreme Court where it was said that although it’s laid down that the timeline should be 10 days it lapsed 5 days, but when we read it properly and interpreted it, we found the word ‘preferably’ is used. Preferably doesn’t mean it should be done within 10 days but it's only mentioned to give out a proper procedural formality. So in this case the honorable Supreme Court of India said that a mere lapse of 2-3 days according to the timeline prescribed by the guidelines will not make the product bad or it does not have anything to do with the quality. The Supreme Court decided that the Single Bench’s order to stay and the writ petition to be dismissed. The final decision was given in favor of IOC. In this particular case, we have learned that according to a professional perspective that whenever you are very sure that there are good grounds it's always beneficial to attain a higher forum. The way interpretations were given by the Supreme Court was broad and right.”

Q. Sir, would you like to share some important tips for students opting Law for their career?

Mr. Islam: "Some of the important tips which are essential to be kept in mind by anyone who chooses the legal field is that it is necessary to clear the basics of central subjects of the legal profession which are IPC, CrPC, Contract, etc."

“The law profession is absorbing as when reading one particular clause ten times then you might get ten different meanings of that same clause.”

Further, in competitive exams like CLAT, many questions are put forward in different ways through these clauses. A thorough reading of every clause of these subjects and understanding them is very beneficial as you move forward because it helps in applying it in case laws and every other aspect throughout the legal field.

~ Juhi Handique