On this day 99 years ago, a visionary was born in the small town of Sargodha in Punjab, now in Pakistan. His name was Shri PL Malik. He is the man behind SCC, the most cited law report in the country.
Barely out of college, in 1942 he joined his elder brother Shri C.L. Malik in the business of distributing law books and journals at Lucknow. Shri PL Malik, sharing the vision with his brother, Shri CL Malik, co-founded the EBC Group and over the years created the infrastructure for high quality publishing. He understood the need for precision in all legal materials and set up systems to ensure that in all EBC publications the Acts, Rules and Notifications were correct. Eastern Book Company became a hallmark for quality and reasonable price. Not only was perfection desirable in itself but what was keenly felt was a desire to give the legal fraternity works of the highest standard possible.
Shri PL Malik was the Chief Editor, Lucknow Law Times started in 1960, Founder Editor of Supreme Court Cases (SCC) (1969), and author of Industrial Law, Criminal Court Handbook, Arms Act & Rules, Law Relating to Forests in UP, Law relating to Weights & Measures, Handbook on UP Cooperative Societies Acts and Rules.
Realising the critical importance of accurate text of statutory law to the legal system, Shri P.L. Malik himself took up the task of preparing accurate and authentic compilations, most celebrated amongst which is Industrial Law, the Golden Jubilee 19th edition of which was released by him in 2004 and the next edition saw completion just before his demise. His other celebrated works include Criminal Court Handbook, Law Relating to Weights and Measures, Customs Act, 1962, FERA, Arms and Explosives, Handbook of Electricity Laws, Labour Laws in U.P., etc.
In every EBC publication he himself ensured accuracy of the text of statutory law. Painstaking attention to detail, and meticulous referencing and research of original sources to ensure authenticity formed the invisible underlying basis of his works. What was visible was equally pleasing to the user for the value and precision that lay in the arrangement and selection of the material. Not only did he enrich legal literature with his many works, but he enriched law publishing itself both by laying down the standard that all works had to meet thereafter and by providing a model for emulation.
About EBC Group
Established in 1942, the EBC Group is the intellectual giant in legal publishing, with offices in several Indian cities and abroad. EBC has traditionally published a wide range of legal commentaries, student texts, law reports and digests. Today its products include pioneering works both in the print and electronic medium. The EBC Group has brought to you Supreme Court Cases (SCC), SC Yearly Digest and Complete Digest, SCC Online, EBC Webstore, EBC Student Books and Practitioner Commentaries, EBC Reader, SCC Online Blog, EBC Explorer and the Practical Lawyer magazine.
