Renowned constitutional jurist and senior Supreme Court advocate Fali S Nariman passed away at the age of 95 in New Delhi on Wednesday. In November 1950, Nariman became an advocate of the Bombay High Court, later earning the designation of senior advocate in 1961. With over 70 years of legal practice, he initially worked in the High Court of Bombay before shifting to New Delhi in 1972 to practice in the Supreme Court of India. Additionally, he served as Additional Solicitor General of India from May 1972 onwards, following his move from Bombay to Delhi.
The veteran lawyer was also the President of the Bar Association of India from 1991 to 2010.Nariman received the Padma Bhushan in January 1991 and in 2007 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X on Wednesday, “Shri Fali Nariman Ji was among the most outstanding legal minds and intellectuals. He devoted his life to making justice accessible to common citizens. I am pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.”The veteran argued numerous significant cases, such as the NJAC verdict and the SC AoR Association case, which influenced the establishment of the collegium system. He also participated in cases like the TMA Pai case, addressing the extent of minority rights under Article 30. Notably, in June 1975, Nariman resigned as the Additional Solicitor General of India in opposition to the declaration of emergency by the Indira Gandhi government.Nariman was a significant public voice in the country. Recently, he raised criticism against the judgement leading to the abrogation of Article 370.