Supreme Court designates huge bunch of (also younger) lawyers to senior counsel (incl. at least 5 NLS grads)

Friday, 29 March 2019 By Legally India Bar, Bench & Litigation

Youngest average senior advocates ever this time around at the Supreme Court?
Youngest average senior advocates ever this time around at the Supreme Court?

The Supreme Court has elevated 38 lawyers to senior counsel status, a list that unusually also includes some bright up-and-comers and also several graduates of NLSIU Bangalore, which has become a semi-regular fixture in the senior counsel stakes.*

Full PDF list of all designations, here.

We spoke to Nakul Dewan, one of the 38, who commented: “The Supreme Court has considered a lot of young practitioners, which is very welcome.”

Gopal Sankaranarayanan, a 2001 NLSIU graduate who is 41 years old (young), said: “I think it’s extremely encouraging that a large number of people have been designated.”

Alluding to the long-running controversy over the arguably archaic senior counsel system, he added: “I do hope in the years to come we’ll slowly move towards a system, where that kind of distinction that exists between senior and non-senior will slowly fade away.”

We understand that the youngest lawyers to ever have been designated as senior counsel would probably be Rohinton Nariman (now Justice) and Gopal Subramanium, who were elevated when they were around 37 (corrections or clarifications from readers are welcome here, of course).

Some names from the full list (in alphabetical order):

  • Gaurav Bhatia (Lucknow University LLB 2004, 41 years old, former co-founder of SRGR Law Offices, secretary of SCBA 2015-2017, Additional Advocate General Uttar Pradesh 2012-16)
  • Siddharth Dave (1997 NLSIU grad)
  • Nakul Dewan (qualified in India in 2001, barrister at London chambers 20 Essex Street, practises in Singapore (qualified in 2010), Delhi and London (qualified to the English bar in 2014))
  • Madhavi Goradia Divan (Cambridge University law degree; Additional Solicitor General)
  • Menaka Guruswamy (1997 NLSIU grad; LLM from Harvard Law School; BCL from the University of Oxford; 2015 D Phil from Oxford)
  • Nikhil Nayyar (NLSIU grad)
  • Ritin Rai (1992 St Stephens Economics BA; 1995 LLB Delhi University CLC; 1997 Oxford University BCL; 1998 Harvard Law School LLM, worked at Jones Day from 1998 - 2000, and Pathak & Associates from 2000 - 2003)
  • Gopal Sankaranarayanan (2001 NLSIU)
  • Anitha Shenoy (1995 NLSIU grad)

We will continue updating this list - if there are any bright youngsters or others from NLUs or with unusual CVs that we should mention, please let us know in the comments and we’ll update.

Story being updated.

Full list of names

  • Madhavi Goradia Divan
  • R. Balasubramanian
  • Anitha Shenoy
  • Aruneshwar Gupta
  • Jugal Kishore Tikamchand Gilda
  • Sanjay Parikh
  • Preetesh Kapur
  • Ashok Kumar Sharma
  • Deepak Madhusudan Nargolkar
  • Ajit Shankarrao Bhasme
  • Nikhil Nayyar
  • S Wasim A Qadri
  • MG Ramachandran
  • Manish Singhvi
  • Gopal Sankaranarayanan
  • Mohan Venkatesh Katarki
  • Nakul Dewan
  • Devadatt Kamat
  • Anip Sachthey
  • Anupam Lal Das
  • G Venkatesh Rao
  • Jayanth Muth Raj
  • Arijit Prasad
  • Jay Savla
  • Aparajita Singh
  • Menaka Guruswamy
  • Siddhartha Dave
  • Siddharth Bhatnagar
  • CN Sreekumar
  • Aishwarya Bhati
  • Santosh Paul
  • Gaurav Bhatia
  • Bharat Sangal
  • Vinay Prabhakar Navare
  • Manoj Swarup
  • Ritin Rai
  • Priya Hingorani

2019 Supreme Court designations (PDF)

Photo by Pinakpani

Supreme Courtsenior counselSiddharth DaveNakul DewanMadhavi Goradia DivanMenaka GuruswamyNikhil NayyarRitin RaiGopal SankaranarayananAnitha Shenoy

Comments

Guest 29 Mar 2019, 12:29
+4 -21
Dr. Guruswamy also holds a D.Phil from Oxford (2015)
kianganz 29 Mar 2019, 12:41
+1 -1
Many thanks, have updated!
Guest 29 Mar 2019, 13:50
+17 -3
Very good. In future, more Senior Advocates should be like them: graduates of leading universities, articulate, knowledgeable. holding master's degrees, self-made...
Fake 29 Mar 2019, 13:53
+28 -5
One person on this list got the promotion just because he is a BJP politician [...]
Guest 29 Mar 2019, 13:57
+25 -18
Historic also because the first ever lawyer from a sexual minority has got Senior Advocate status. Well done SC for not giving in to prejudice and homophobia!
Puzzled 30 Mar 2019, 03:53
+7 -1
Could someone clarify who this is?
Really? 30 Mar 2019, 12:26
+3 -7
Why should it concern you?
Why so hostile? 30 Mar 2019, 13:00
+7 -2
Only because it can be encouraging, even liberating for fellow-travelers. The comment on the apparent excoriation of prejudice and homophobia in designations suggests that the person in question has come out into the public about their orientation.
Guest 29 Mar 2019, 14:00
+28 -8
Aishwarya Bhati and Gaurav Bhatia are BJP activists. Someone should challenge these promotions.
Guest 29 Mar 2019, 14:02
+1 -30
If a 2001 NLSIU grad made it, that means NALSAR-ites will be in contention 2-3 years from now. Then we can do a ranking and see which college is better.
Only If... 29 Mar 2019, 16:30
+55 -6
Only if your NALSAR candidate has argued 15 Constitution Bench cases, has more than 400 appearances a year, does an annual law quiz, administers the Bar Exam for 2 years, writes 70 articles, runs an oral history project, authors 3 books, acts as Secretary to the lodha committee on BCCI and appears pro bono in half his cases WITHOUT BEING AN AOR or A STATE LAWYER. Kinda tough, no?
What? 31 Mar 2019, 11:27
+2 -0
Chip meet shoulder.
I hate BJP 29 Mar 2019, 14:29
+27 -3
Video 1: Gaurav Bhatia brawling in a TV studio. You cannot strike back howsoever high the provocation.

Video 2: Gaurav Bhatia making a sexist remark. Even the anchor shouts at him and calls him "badtameez".

How can Senior Advocate status be given to people like this??? Friends, please tweet and share.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN8HlevIf9E[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyjrKDnoylI[/youtube]
Lowering the bar 30 Mar 2019, 04:50
+64 -4
I think Menaka Guruswamy is a top lawyer and an up and coming academic. She would, if elevated in a few years, make an excellent Delhi HC judge. But her designation as a senior advocate by the Supreme Court is laughable simply because she hasn't even done 1% of the matters as compared to some of the serious names (not Bhatia et al.) Parachuting to do 1-2 high profile matters in the Supreme Court cannot be sufficient. I'm afraid this will set a terrible precedent.
SC Advocate 30 Mar 2019, 07:35
+24 -2
Right. I agree. She has potential. But it was too soon to be designated as a Senior Advovate.
academic? 20 Feb 2022, 03:52
+0 -0
May not have written or taught enough to be that either although she is certainly smart
[...] 29 Mar 2019, 14:31
+75 -0
Extraordinary how Menaka made it. She doesn't even practise at the Supreme Court - she has been in 3 cases in the last 5 years. And her classmate Siddhartha Dave a seasoned litigator with more than 3000 appearances!! What rationale was applied??
Correct 29 Mar 2019, 17:53
+27 -3
I agree. The committee needs to come with answers. If academics and activism is going to be equated with practice experience, then by that logic Sudhir, Umakant and Shamnad should be elevated
OD 29 Mar 2019, 18:47
+2 -8
Very few lady senior advocates. Hence!
Whose truth? 30 Mar 2019, 13:02
+2 -0
Sign of the times, friend.
Truthful 30 Mar 2019, 08:32
+72 -7
1. Get on a high profile case.
2. Get your pictures in the media.
3. Hog the limelight aka take group pictures outside court 2 and post on Facebook, Instagram and every possible social media site. Self serving promotion.
4. Be a part of the leftist, free thinking, cocktail sipping, sunday brunch eating, pseudo intellectual swisherati that advocates equality for all from the comfort of their air-conditioned offifes whilst sipping Russian vodka (that's what the comrades drink anyways)
5. Get on the equal opportunity bandwagon and stand next to the shriekers.
6. Use all of the above to cover the basic fact that you didnt do Jack and got a recognition that you never deserved in the first place.

Save for a few very deserving ones, the list behooves the very reasons why seniors are designated.

The commoditisation of the silks!
Guest 29 Mar 2019, 14:49
+13 -1
[img]https://i.imgur.com/czj3P30.png[/img]
Karanjawala 29 Mar 2019, 15:09
+34 -5
Sounds like the amarchand salary partnership list to me. The bar has been clearly lowered.
Dawadaru 30 Mar 2019, 08:33
+20 -2
Not everything is about the chands..
Get over your rejection.
Guest 29 Mar 2019, 18:01
+9 -0
Contacts or jugaad or publicity seem to be what one needs.
Varun Jain 30 Mar 2019, 01:55
+7 -5
Kian, could you confirm that gopal shankarnarayan had actually taken off for two years from practise because he wasn't sure of law? that's quite a story.
Hmm 30 Mar 2019, 03:38
+12 -2
Mr. Swaraj Kaushal was designated as Senior Advocate at the age of 34. That, perhaps, makes him the youngest.
Soothsayer 30 Mar 2019, 07:09
+9 -1
Kian, I would request you to cover each and everyone of them. There are some great lawyers in that list too who deserve a mention. Anupam Lal Das, Bharat Sangal are great practitioners in their own right. Infact, Mr. Sangal has tirelessly fought for the cause of welfare of labourers and is one of the foremeost employment law practitioners.
Guest 30 Mar 2019, 07:58
+20 -2
Kian, why the publicity to NLSIU, when DU has more than twice the number in the list? Very biased reporting.
Because 31 Mar 2019, 11:30
+8 -0
Because writing about NLSIU people results in people like you reading and commenting more.

His purpose is served. Advertisers are pleased.
kianganz 31 Mar 2019, 16:40
+5 -1
Hi, thanks for your feedback, but the answer is quite simple. DU (and other traditional universities) have traditionally dominated the senior counsel rounds until now. That's not news, much like a headline: "GLC grads dominate Bombay HC elevations" would not be news either.

However, the influx of graduates from NLUs at the bar is something new and notable. And several NLU grads becoming senior counsel at the Supreme Court is unprecedented. This is a trend that was also seen in law firms for a bit longer already (stats here - https://www.legallyindia.com/law-firms/nls-glc-du-ils-rule-law-firm-partnerships-law-firms-don-rsquo-t-play-favourites-20131004-4020 ), but it has obviously taken longer to occur at the bar (perhaps in part because for a while law firms hoovered up a lot of the talent from NLUs, leaving only a minority for the bar).

The fact that this is changing now, however, is most definitely news and therefore the headline.
Guest 30 Mar 2019, 08:01
+21 -2
List is a combo of Page 3, Lutyens and bhakts.
Kal Tak 30 Mar 2019, 08:57
+9 -2
Kian, youngest ever senior designation was given by Supreme Court to Mr. Swaraj Kaushal (Ms. Sushma Swaraj's husband). He's quite a legend. Also has the distinction of being the youngest Governor of a state (Mizoram) at the age of 37.
Guest 30 Mar 2019, 11:31
+2 -0
NIRF should consider such alumni achievements in the ranking.
Guest 31 Mar 2019, 14:14
+10 -15
It seems that bhakts are trashing Menaka for being part of the anti-Modi/human rights/LGBT faction, while the other side is trashing Gaurav Bhatia and Aishwarya Bhati for being a part of the BJP faction. This is silly. Everyone has political leanings.
Lowering the bar 1 Apr 2019, 04:40
+27 -1
Not a Bhakt. Anti-Modi. Still think Menaka's designation is baffling (as is Bhatia's).
Wutt 31 Mar 2019, 16:00
+9 -0
Cannot understand the pointless NLS promotion in the subject and the write-up. Several of these people are NOT from NLS - probably would be fairer if Kian and Co could draw a law school break up (if providing law school details is so important in the first place!)
kianganz 31 Mar 2019, 16:41
+3 -0
Have replied above, though you're right, a full law school break-up would be interesting, yes.
Amazed 2 Apr 2019, 02:19
+12 -3
So good lawyers = political leaning? Also gopal is Junior of kkv who was one of the decision makers..kkv was his grandfathers junior...major conflict of interest.... Rich get richer they say...menaka - publicity is all it took is it ?
Arvind Menon 5 May 2019, 05:23
+8 -3
This is completely false. Mr Venugopal only worked with his own father Nambyar. He was not the junior of anybody else. Because they are both Malayalis, random associations are made between Gopal and Venugopal. In fact over the last 5 years, few non-senior have crossed swords with Venugopal in court more than Gopal has - Alok Verma, reservations, Sc-St guidelines, Jarnail Singh, Ordinances on triple talaq, etc.
Random Associate 20 May 2019, 16:08
+10 -2
Have you seen the massive portrait of KKV in Sankaranarayanan's office? It's not just a "random association" that people are making, it's a well known fact. His closeness with KKV is exactly what allows him to cross swords with him as he does.
I wonder if you know much about either of these men; my suggestion is that it'd be better to not defend what you don't know anything about.
Arvind Prakash 18 Feb 2022, 19:09
+1 -1
Maybe you also know that the office is shared by his wife Haripriya who was also Venugopals junior from before Gopal. No need to be sexist and presume that the portrait is because of Gopal
Conflict Resolution 2 Apr 2019, 14:08
+14 -1
File an RTI asking if KKV recused himself if you’re that bothered. I doubt anyone else is.

If you’re interested in the area of famous relatives, do look up Salve’s dad.

Then check Amitabh Bachchan’s dad.

You might also want to look up Indra Gandhi’s dad.
seeker 3 Apr 2019, 15:38
+6 -1
would be interesting to see if any of the designates had any affiliations to the judiciary viz; son,daughter,brother of former high court judges.

@kian any statistic on that?
Nagpur 5 Jul 2019, 16:50
+5 -0
Gopal Subramanium and Rohinton Nariman were 34 and 36 years old respectively at the time of their designation. Mr Subramanium along with Mr Swaraj Kaushal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi (by Delhi HC) are perhaps the youngest to be designated.
losr 19 Sept 2019, 15:08
+1 -1
youngest to be designated is barry sen at the age of 31.
Aditya Vardhan Sharma 18 Apr 2021, 22:07
Featured
+1 -0
Kian, I believe the youngest designated senior at the SC was Barry Sen, who was only 31 at the time. Now of course, this is in 1955/56 when the Advocates Act did not exist. Nonetheless.

Source:
https://thewire.in/law/barry-sen-counsels-counsel
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