‘Bhishma Pitamah of lawyer community’: Eminent jurist Fali S Nariman passes away at 95

Eminent constitutional jurist and veteran senior advocate of the Supreme Court Fali Sam Nariman passed away in New Delhi on Wednesday. He was 95. He had practised law for more than 70 years.

Born on 10 January 1929 in Rangoon to Parsi parents, Nariman had a B.A., in Economics and History from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and a law degree (LL.B.) from the Government Law College, Mumbai in 1950, where he stood first in the exam. Nariman enrolled as an advocate of the Bombay High Court in November 1950, and was designated senior advocate in 1961.

In 1971, he was appointed as a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court. He was appointed Additional Solicitor General of India in May 1972.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in January 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2007. He also received the Gruber Prize for Justice in 2002.

He was also an internationally recognised jurist on international arbitration.

Nariman got married to Bapsi F. Nariman in 1955, and the couple have two children, a son and a daughter. His son Rohinton Nariman was a senior advocate and a judge of the Supreme Court. Rohinton had also held the post of the Solicitor General of India from 2011 to 2013.

His autobiography “Before Memory Fades” is a widely read book.

Nariman has delivered several landmark judgements in important cases.

In December last year, he had criticised the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370 which had conferred special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He told Rajdeep Sardesai, of India Today, “It (the verdict) is, in my view, an incorrect appreciation of the Constitution, which I didn’t expect the court to do.”

Condolences pour in

In a post on X, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Nariman’s death was “an end of an era”.

“A living legend who wl (will) forever be in hearts &minds of those in law &publc life. Above all his diverse achievements, he stuck to his principles unwaveringly &called a spade a spade, a quality shared by his brilliant son,” he said in the post.

Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan posted his condolences on X, calling Nariman the “Bhishma Pitamah” of their community. “Very sad news. Eminent Jurist Fali S Nariman Passes Away. He was also regarded as the Bhishma Pitamah of the Lawyer community. A great lawyer & close friend of our family. His passing away at this critical juncture is an enormous loss for our country.”