 As a lawyer , Jinnah gained fame for his skilled handling of the 1907 " Caucus Case " . This controversy arose out of Bombay municipal elections , which Indians alleged were rigged by a " caucus " of Europeans to keep Sir Pherozeshah Mehta out of the council . Jinnah gained great esteem from leading the case for Sir Pherozeshah , himself a noted barrister . Although Jinnah did not win the Caucus Case , he posted a successful record , becoming well known for his advocacy and legal logic . In 1908 , his factional foe in the Indian National Congress , Bal Gangadhar Tilak , was arrested for sedition . Before Tilak unsuccessfully represented himself at trial , he engaged Jinnah in an attempt to secure his release on bail . Jinnah did not succeed , but obtained an acquittal for Tilak when he was charged with sedition again in 1916 . 
