India has a rich history of legal experts who have made significant contributions to the legal profession. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 famous advocates in India, who have gained national and international recognition for their legal expertise, advocacy skills, and contributions to the legal field.
1. Fali Sam Nariman
Fali Sam Nariman is a prominent Indian lawyer who is known for his contributions to the field of constitutional law. He was born on January 10, 1929, in Mumbai, India. He graduated from Government Law College in Mumbai in 1950 and went on to practice law in the Bombay High Court.
Nariman's legal career spans over six decades, during which he has been involved in several landmark cases. He has appeared in many high-profile cases in the Supreme Court of India, including the Kesavananda Bharati case, which is considered one of the most important cases in Indian constitutional history.
Nariman has also served as a Rajya Sabha member from 1999 to 2005. He has been a member of several committees and commissions, including the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Rajya Sabha Committee on Ethics.
Nariman has received numerous honors and awards for his contributions to the legal field. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2007, which are two of the highest civilian awards in India. He has also been honored with several honorary doctorates from universities in India and abroad.
Apart from his legal career, Nariman is also a prolific writer and has authored several books, including "Before Memory Fades: An Autobiography" and "The State of the Nation". He is considered one of India's foremost legal experts and continues to inspire future generations of lawyers with his work and contributions to the legal profession.
2. Harish Salve
Harish Salve is a renowned Indian lawyer who is known for his expertise in constitutional, commercial and taxation law. He was born on June 22, 1955, in Warud, Maharashtra, India. Salve received his law degree from Government Law College, Mumbai, and later pursued a Master of Law degree from the University of Cambridge.
Salve has had a distinguished legal career that spans over four decades. He has represented high-profile clients, including the Indian government in several important cases, and has appeared in various courts in India and abroad, including the International Court of Justice. He has been involved in several landmark cases in India, including the Vodafone tax case and the Tata-Mistry dispute.
Salve has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001, which is one of the highest civilian awards in India. He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2015 for his services in the field of law. Salve is also a recipient of the prestigious Global Jurist Award and has been named as one of India's top lawyers by several publications.
Apart from his legal career, Salve is also a trained Carnatic music vocalist and has performed at several concerts in India and abroad. He is considered one of the most respected legal minds in India and continues to inspire future generations of lawyers with his work and contributions to the legal profession.
3. Abhishek Manu Singhvi
Abhishek Manu Singhvi is a renowned Indian lawyer, politician, and Member of Parliament. He was born on February 24, 1959, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Singhvi received his law degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and later pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Trinity College, Cambridge.
Singhvi has had a distinguished legal career that spans over three decades. He has appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Singhvi is known for his expertise in constitutional law, arbitration law, and commercial law. He has also served as the Additional Solicitor General of India.
Singhvi is also a prominent politician and has been a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, since 2006. He has held various positions in the Indian National Congress party, including as the party's spokesperson and as a member of the party's working committee.
Singhvi has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession and politics. He was awarded the National Law Day Award in 2017, which is given to outstanding lawyers in India. He was also named as one of India's top lawyers by several publications, including Chambers Global and Legal 500.
Apart from his legal and political career, Singhvi is also a prolific writer and has authored several books, including "The Law of Emergency Powers" and "The Tale of Two Constitutions". He is considered one of India's most respected legal minds and continues to inspire future generations of lawyers with his work and contributions to the legal profession and politics.
4. Kapil Sibal
Kapil Sibal is a prominent Indian lawyer, politician, and former Union Minister. He was born on August 8, 1948, in Jalandhar, Punjab, India. Sibal received his law degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and later pursued a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.
Sibal has had a distinguished legal career that spans over four decades. He has appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Sibal is known for his expertise in constitutional law, commercial law, and telecommunications law. He has also served as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
Sibal is also a prominent politician and has been a Member of Parliament in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, the upper and lower houses of the Indian Parliament, respectively. He has held various positions in the Indian National Congress party, including as the party's spokesperson, as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and as the Minister of Human Resource Development.
Sibal has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession and politics. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006, which is one of the highest civilian awards in India. He was also named as one of India's top lawyers by several publications, including Chambers Global and Legal 500.
Apart from his legal and political career, Sibal is also a prolific writer and has authored several books, including "My World Within" and "Shades of Truth: A Journey Derailed". He is considered one of India's most respected legal minds and continues to inspire future generations of lawyers with his work and contributions to the legal profession and politics.
5. Pinky Anand
Pinky Anand is a prominent Indian lawyer and politician. She was born on October 23, 1959, in Chandigarh, India. Anand received her law degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and later pursued a Master of Laws degree from the University of Delhi.
Anand has had a distinguished legal career that spans over three decades. She has appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Anand is known for her expertise in constitutional law, arbitration law, and commercial law. She has also served as the Additional Solicitor General of India.
Anand is also a prominent politician and has been a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, since 2016. She has held various positions in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including as the party's National Secretary and as the spokesperson for the party's Delhi unit.
Anand has received numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to the legal profession and politics. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Award in 2018, which is given to women who have made significant contributions to society. She was also named as one of India's top lawyers by several publications, including Chambers Global and Legal 500.
Apart from her legal and political career, Anand is also actively involved in various social causes and is a member of several non-governmental organizations. She is considered one of India's most respected legal minds and continues to inspire future generations of lawyers with her work and contributions to the legal profession and politics.
6. Soli Sorabjee
Soli Sorabjee was a renowned Indian lawyer and jurist who served as the Attorney General of India twice. He was born on March 9, 1930, in Bombay, India, and passed away on April 30, 2021.
Sorabjee had a distinguished legal career that spanned over six decades. He appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Sorabjee was known for his expertise in constitutional law, human rights law, and international law. He also served as a member of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
Sorabjee served as the Attorney General of India from 1989 to 1990 and again from 1998 to 2004. During his tenure, he played a key role in several important cases, including the Kesavananda Bharati case, which is considered one of the most significant constitutional cases in Indian history.
Sorabjee received several awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession and human rights. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, one of India's highest civilian awards, in 2002. He was also named as one of the top ten lawyers in the world by the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers in 1996.
Apart from his legal career, Sorabjee was also a prolific writer and authored several books, including "The Emergency: Indian Democracy's Darkest Hour" and "India's Legal System: Can it be Saved?". He was considered one of India's most respected legal minds and will always be remembered for his contributions to the legal profession and human rights.
7. Ram Jethmalani
Ram Jethmalani was a prominent Indian lawyer and politician. He was born on September 14, 1923, in Shikarpur, Sindh, British India, and passed away on September 8, 2019. Jethmalani received his law degree from S.C. Shahani Law College in Karachi.
Jethmalani had a distinguished legal career that spanned over seven decades. He appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Jethmalani was known for his expertise in criminal law, constitutional law, and commercial law. He was also one of the highest-paid lawyers in India during his time.
Apart from his legal career, Jethmalani was also a prominent politician and was a Member of Parliament in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. He held various positions in several political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal.
Jethmalani received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession and politics. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1999, one of India's highest civilian awards. He was also named as one of India's top lawyers by several publications, including Chambers Global and Legal 500.
Apart from his legal and political career, Jethmalani was also a prolific writer and authored several books, including "Justice: Soviet Style" and "Maverick: Unchanged, Unrepentant". He was considered one of India's most respected legal minds and will always be remembered for his contributions to the legal profession and politics.
8. Mukul Rohatgi
Mukul Rohatgi is a prominent Indian lawyer who served as the Attorney General of India from 2014 to 2017. He was born on June 1, 1955, in Mumbai, India.
Rohatgi had a distinguished legal career that spanned over four decades. He appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Rohatgi was known for his expertise in constitutional law, corporate law, and arbitration law. He has represented several corporate houses and was one of the most sought-after lawyers in India during his time.
Rohatgi served as the Attorney General of India from 2014 to 2017, during which he played a key role in several important cases, including the National Judicial Appointments Commission case, which is considered one of the most significant cases in Indian constitutional law.
Apart from his legal career, Rohatgi has also been actively involved in various social causes and has served as a member of several non-governmental organizations. He has received several awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession, including the National Law Day Award in 2018.
Rohatgi continues to be a prominent figure in the Indian legal system and is considered one of India's most respected legal minds. He inspires future generations of lawyers with his work and contributions to the legal profession.
9. Gopal Subramanium
Gopal Subramanium is a prominent Indian lawyer and jurist who has served as a judge of the Supreme Court of India and as the Solicitor General of India. He was born on September 4, 1957, in Chennai, India.
Subramanium had a distinguished legal career that spanned over three decades. He appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India, including the Supreme Court of India. Subramanium was known for his expertise in constitutional law, human rights law, and international law. He has represented several human rights organizations and has played a key role in several important cases, including the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.
Subramanium served as the Solicitor General of India from 2009 to 2011, during which he played a key role in several important cases, including the 2G spectrum case, which is considered one of the biggest scams in Indian history.
Apart from his legal career, Subramanium has also been actively involved in various social causes and has served as a member of several non-governmental organizations. He has received several awards and accolades for his contributions to the legal profession, including the National Law Day Award in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan in 2020.
Subramanium continues to be a prominent figure in the Indian legal system and is considered one of India's most respected legal minds. He inspires future generations of lawyers with his work and contributions to the legal profession.
10. P Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram is a prominent Indian politician and lawyer who has served as the Finance Minister of India and as a Member of Parliament in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. He was born on September 16, 1945, in Kanadukathan, Tamil Nadu, India.
Chidambaram received his law degree from the Madras Law College and had a distinguished legal career before entering politics. He appeared in several high-profile cases in various courts in India and was known for his expertise in corporate law and taxation law.
Chidambaram entered politics in the 1980s and has since been an active member of the Indian National Congress party. He has served as the Finance Minister of India twice, first from 1996 to 1998 and then from 2004 to 2008. During his tenure, he played a key role in several important economic reforms, including the liberalization of the Indian economy.
Chidambaram has also been a Member of Parliament in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha and has held several key positions in the Indian government, including the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Apart from his political career, Chidambaram has also been actively involved in various social causes and has served as a member of several non-governmental organizations. He has received several awards and accolades for his contributions to the political and legal spheres, including the Padma Bhushan in 2010.
Chidambaram continues to be a prominent figure in Indian politics and inspires future generations with his work and contributions to the country.
These 10 famous advocates in India have made significant contributions to the legal profession and have earned recognition for their legal expertise and advocacy skills. They have represented high-profile clients in various courts and have contributed to the development of Indian constitutional law. Their legal prowess has earned them national and international recognition, and they continue to inspire future generations of legal professionals.
