J Sagar Associates (JSA) has engaged former Income Tax Commissioner and the first Director General Competition Commission of India (CCI) Amitabh Kumar as a senior advisor to augment its competition and direct tax law practices in Delhi office.

A qualified lawyer from Mumbai University, Kumar has started his consultancy work with the regulatory and tax wing of JSA on 9 June after entering into a formal association with the firm.

JSA founding partner Jyoti Sagar noted in a firm statement that he was delighted for the firm to be associated with Kumar. "Our clients and our attorneys will greatly benefit from the wealth of his experience."

Recalling his tenure as CCI director general from 2004 to 2009, Kumar told Legally India: "It was tumultuous but was a period when all amendment bills, legislations were being drafted.

"I know this law inside out and there are many cases coming up before the competition commission and many of them are coming to JSA, so I’ll be advising them in all competition related matters."

He said he will be working closely with current competition law partner Ajay Kapur.     

"They have a practice already and there is a partner in charge – two people already working here, similarly in direct taxes they already have somebody. I'll be advising both these practice groups," he added.

Kumar joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1978 from which he recently retired as commissioner of income tax. His career span of 31 years included diverse assignments in the sphere of regulation, public finance and policy.

Kumar was also departmental representative of the Income Tax Department at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal for six years, and also consulted with the African Development Bank, The World Bank, UNDP and the UK's Department for International Development (UK) in strategic policy areas, according to JSA, having also served on the board of several public sector undertakings.

In January 2010, JSA had brought in former chairman of the Customs and Central Excise Settlement Commission Jogendra Singh as an indirect tax senior adviser while it lost out ex-additional registrar of the CCI, Manas Chaudhuri, to Khaitan & Co last year in December.