Gopal Subramanium
Chetan ‘Porny’ Bhagat: Gujarat high court chief justice’s bench dubs Chetan Bhagat’s book pornographic after reading a passage on riots in open court, which contained “abuses”. The CJ commented: “The language doesn't look decent. A chaste writer cannot write this stuff.” [TOI]
Madras, vacancy: Madras high court potentially faces one-third roster vacancy after retirements, two state law officers and/or others might ascend in six months. [TOI]
Gopal ADR fail: Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium recommends a constitutional body – the National Judicial Commission for Performance & Audit of the Judicial System - to aid the high courts. He notes that “fixation of [pendency reduction] targets” for judges is a roadblock to justice, and the promotion of alternate dispute resolution is a failure of the justice system [Hindu]
200% Rs 20 stamp hike: Madras HC clears the way for increased advocates welfare stamp fee to be affixed with the vakalatnama – the memo of appearance. Tamil Nadu advocates are now to affix a stamp of Rs 30 instead of Rs 10 [DC]
All-woman law offices: Udaya PS Menon and Associates is Coimbatore’s only all-women law firm with seven women advocates was set up in 2000. The founder Udaya Menon explains reason behind founding the firm: “It was very difficult for me to explain at home why I had to spend so much time with my male colleagues!” [Hindu]
CLAT chat: What’s in store for CLATaspirants? NLSIU Bangalore students chalk it out. “You will find a small bunch of bright, attentive, confident people who will not hesitate in challenging your beliefs and will expect you to argue out every position you take on a certain issue.” [HT]
Engineering Law Schoolites? SC advocate and NLSIU 2001 grad criticises the “narrow worldview” of NLSIU administrators who, according to him, curtail diversification of student interests by imposing on them the belief that legal academia and advocacy are the only professional ways in which the grads can become “social engineers” [DH]
India Today dockets the lives and times of India’s top eight senior advocates. All of them keep expensive hobbies and none of them bill below Rs 5 lakh – per appearance.
The oldest active lawyer in India, Ram Jethmalani: Aged 90, and enrolled at the bar as the youngest member at age 18, he maintains an envy-invoking Badminton court in his Lutyen’s Delhi bungalow and bills above Rs 40 lakh per matter.
The former law minister recently defended the Gujarat government in the 2002 riots, Baba Ramdev in the case of police lathicharge at Delhi’s Ramlila grounds, the 2G accused, and the Ansals in Delhi’s Uphaar cinema tragedy.
The Philanthropist, KTS Tulsi: The former solicitor general is a vintage-car collector, and can be roped in for Rs 5 lakh per appearance or for free, depending on the cause.
The cause has driven him to oppose the Ansals in Uphaar, refuse to defend the Gujarat state government at the SC after chief minister Narendra Modi justified the Sohrabuddin encounter, and be a special prosecutor in the Punjab terror attacks, during the peak of his career as defense counsel.
The most expensive, Harish Salve: Pianist, Bentley-enthusiast, jazz music lover, and Apple (the company) loyalist, Salve minted Rs 4.5 lakh per appearance until his stakes touched the pinnacle after his recent Rs11,000 crore Vodafone win in the SC.
Once Soli Sorabjee’s junior, anybody who matters in corporate India was (at least) once the former solicitor general’s client – including the Ambani borthers, Keshav Mahindra, Ratan Tata.
But he has fought free too, namely, amicus curiae in the Gujarat riots case and in the environment matters heard by the green bench of the SC. He also appeared against the accused in Uphaar.
The king of miscellaneous times, Mukul Rohatgi: Known for lung power, which he uses during arguments as well as for bustling between courtrooms on miscellaneous days with his extra-heavy load of matters, Rohatgi is a supercar collector, Atlas Shrugged reader, traveller and art-connoisseur.
The former additional solicitor general has been a favourite with politicians including Varun Gandhi and Jayalalitha, and the commonwealth scam accused.
The corporate lawyer, Aryama Sundaram: Plays golf, represents cricket, offers cigars.
The BCCI is a regular client while FICCI was a client in the 2G presidential reference.
The constitutional law expert, PP Rao: “Even judges cannot ignore Rao's interpretations”, writes India Today about the former SCBA president whom the SC looks to despite its own law officers – for instance in the 2G presidential reference, or in the 1992 president’s rule imposition post Babri Masjid.
Controversy’s king, Gopal Subramanium: The former solicitor general of India held the government’s hand through the Kasab trial, the 1993 Bombay blasts, and the recent petition against the grand prix formula 1 race.
The Sherwani-clad, Sushil Kumar: The only Sherwani-clad lawyer in the Supreme Court corridors, he’s seen as the “only one” who can always manage making “holes in the prosecution”.
His clientele – Parliament attacker Mohammed Afzal guru, 2G accused A Raja and Kanimozhi, CWG scam accused Suresh Kalmadi, terrorist Abdul Naseer Maurany and murder-convicted restaurateur P Rajagopal.
“When it comes to final arguments on merits, one needs Kumar to get an acquittal”, claim juniors. [India Today]
Amarchand Mangaldas and senior counsel Gopal Subramanium acted for YSR Congress party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to whom the Supreme Court today denied bail in the money-laundering case against him.
Exclusive: The Bar Council of India (BCI) is set to get a new chairman, as current chair Ashok Parija has said that he would not run for a second term in the 16 April elections, as Parija said that the BCI closed 100 colleges since former chairman Gopal Subramanium’s tenure and that it would publish its meeting minutes again.
Supreme Court Insider: Verbal explosives were hurled across the aisle during the Sohrabuddin fake encounter hearing in the Supreme Court of India today between additional solicitor general Indira Jaising, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani and former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium.
Former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium has been appointed to represent the Maharashtra government and the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) as special counsel.
The other day, in the corridor outside the government law officers’ chambers in the Supreme Court a well-dressed man sat outside the solicitor general’s office. Visibly uncomfortable on one of the rickety wooden benches, he was also livid with rage and his gaze seemed intent on burning a hole through the firmly shut door to the SG’s chambers.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has elected a new chairman and vice chairman after solicitor general Gopal Subramanium resigned as solicitor general, according to Law et al. News.
Supreme Court senior advocate Rohinton Nariman will be the new solicitor general after Gopal Subramnium unexpectedly resigned from the post two weeks ago.
Mumbai, exhibiting that clichéd resilience much loved by commentators, continued with its business despite taking shocks and wild media rumours that would dent the spirits of many other cities. While the financial capital continues to live, the legal profession faced its own share of shocks: one new Anglo-Indian best friendship, a new law minister and the loss of its solicitor general and probably also the Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman.
The government has accepted solicitor general Gopal Subramanium’s resignation yesterday. Subramanium’s continuing chairmanship of the Bar Council of India (BCI) remains uncertain.
Gopal Subramanium did not appear in the Supreme Court in the 2G PIL today after he offered his resignation as solicitor general on Saturday, following private practice advocate Rohinton Nariman having been formally appointed and today representing government minister Kapil Sibal.
If Subramanium’s resignation takes effect he could also cease being a member of the Bar Council of India (BCI), raising a question mark whether he can continue as chairman.
The next All India Bar Exam (AIBE) will take place on 26 June 2011 for those re-taking the first exam and new candidates, said the Bar Council of India (BCI) today in a statement, adding that certificates of practice were in the process of being prepared.
Exclusive: The Bar Council of India (BCI) is to take 20 lawyers on secondment from law firms to help it regulate transactional law practice better, said BCI chairman Gopal Subramanium and Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) chairman Lalit Bhasin on Friday.
Exclusive: Individual bar examinees’ marks would be disclosed together with results on 16 March, said Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman and solicitor general Gopal Subramanium, adding that he was not averse to further state bar council involvement and confirming the fees paid to the private contractor Rainmaker for assisting on the bar exam.
Admit cards and hall passes for candidates sitting the all India bar exam on 6 March will be dispatched by registered post or will be available at the exam venue, Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman and solicitor general Gopal Subramanium said today.
New ethical guidelines for lawyers would be ready by the end of this year, Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman and solicitor general Gopal Subramanium told a number of papers, in contrast to earlier plans to have the rules adopted by October 2010.
The law ministry may ask solicitor general and BCI chairman Gopal Subramanium to resign, to forestall a conflict of interest between the solicitor general and the ministry’s plans for legal education reform, reported the Indian Express.