"This prestigious award is presented to Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, former judge of the Supreme Court (SC) of India, in recognition of his remarkable contributions to India’s legal system,” stated the citation from the Nani Palkhivala National Law Club (NPNLC) when conferring the distinguished jurist the Nani Palkhivala Lifetime Award at the Krishna Menon Auditorium in Delhi on January 16, 2025.
The citation went on to list Nariman’s tenures at the SC and his term as solicitor general of India. Nariman was "designated senior counsel at the SC at the age of 37, significantly lower than the minimum qualifying age of 45 years.” He has "represented over 500 reported cases as an advocate in the SC and authored 360 judgments during his tenure as judge covering diverse areas of law, particularly constitutional law, arbitration and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.”
The global recognition that Nariman has earned was also mentioned: "Honored as one of the five World Heroes by Access Now, an international human rights organization, for his landmark judgment in K. S. Puttaswamy vs Union of India (2017), affirming the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.” He is described as a "renowned expert in comparative constitutional law and civil law.”
The citation was signed by Jayprakash Somani and Manoj Kumar Chowdhary, national president and convenor of NPNLC, respectively, both of whom are advocates at the SC.
Justice Rohinton Nariman (top);
above: daughter Nina (2nd from r) receiving
citation on her father’s behalf
The occasion was Palkhivala’s 105th birth anniversary. The legendary polymath and jurist was in the forefront of fighting for civil liberties and constitutional democratic values. Former SC Justice A. K. Sikri was chief guest and senior advocate of the SC Pravin Parekh was event chairman at the function.
Lately Nariman was in the news when he termed the Babri Masjid dispute judgment "a travesty of justice” (see "Travesty of justice,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, January 7-20, 2025). He disagreed with the reasoning of the court granting the disputed land for construction of the Ram Mandir despite holding the demolition of the mosque on December 6, 1992 illegal.