Fali Nariman passes away, leaves a legacy of legal brilliance and integrity

The highly respected jurist had been a senior advocate to the Supreme Court of India since 1971 and had remained the President of the Bar Association of India from 1991-2010. Fali Nariman started his practice as lawyer at the Bombay High Court and later moved to Delhi. Widely recognised for his contribution to international arbitration, Nariman was a distinguished constitutional lawyer and has argued several famous cases. He was Additional Solicitor General from May 1972 till June 1975. He resigned the day Emergency was imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He received the Gruber Prize for Justice in 2002 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2007. He was a nominated member of the Upper House of Parliament from 1999 to 2005.

Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi expressed his anguish over Fali Nariman's death, calling it "end of an era". "End of an era-#falinariman passes away, a living legend who wl forever be in hearts &minds of those in law &public life. Above all his diverse achievements, he stuck to his principles unwaveringly &called a spade a spade, a quality shared by his brilliant son," Singhvi wrote on X.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the nation has lost a "towering figure of intellect and wisdom." The country has lost an epitome of what righteousness stood for. The legal fraternity is intellectually poorer today," Mehta said. “A doyen, paragon and a legend in his own lifetime has left us leaving the jurisprudence enriched by his immense contribution. I have always learnt something new by merely appearing even against him,” the SG addedSameer Parekh, managing partner, Parekh & Co, termed Nariman’s demise as a “great personal loss.” “Fali was a giant as a lawyer and a giant as a human being. He set standards for generations of lawyers. We learnt how to marshal the facts and law. But most importantly to maintain your integrity and strength in the face of adversity. In a case where he had to rely on only one provision, he would read the entire act to understand the context of a provision. He taught me not just the law but justice. He always said that one must understand any law on the basis of what is moral and right.”A distinguished constitutional lawyer, Fali S Nariman has argued several landmark cases, including the famous NJAC verdict, SC AoR Association case (which led to the collegium system) and the infamous Union Carbide case. Besides his many books, his autobiography "Before Memory Fades" is a widely read book, especially among law students and young lawyers.

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