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Fali S Nariman (1929-2024) was an Indian who served as a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India. He served as the Additional Solicitor General of India from May 1972 to June 1975. He served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1999 to 2005. On 21 February 2024, he died at the age of 95 years due to health issues.
Wiki/Biography
Fali Sam Nariman was born on Thursday, 10 January 1929 (age 95 years; at the time of death) in Rangoon, Burma Province, British India (now Yangon, Myanmar). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to India during the period of the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942. He attended Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. He completed a B.A. in Economics and History from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. In 1950, he earned a law degree (LLB) from the Government Law College, Mumbai. He stood first in the examination and was awarded the Kinlock Forbes Gold Medal and Prize for Roman Law & Jurisprudence. Initially, his father wanted him to take the Indian Civil Service Examination; however, since he couldn’t afford it at the time, he decided to study law.
A young age photo of Fali S Nariman
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Gray (semi-bald)
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Fali S Nariman was born and brought up in a Parsi family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Sam Bariyamji Nariman, was a business executive. His mother’s name was Banoo Nariman.
Wife & Children
In 1955, he got married to Bapsi F. Nariman, who died in 2020. The couple had two children; a daughter named Anaheeta and a son named Rohinton Nariman, who is the former Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Fali S Nariman with his wife (centre) and son
Career
Nariman began his legal career at the Bombay High Court. He enrolled as an advocate of the Bombay High Court in November 1950 and was designated senior advocate in 1961. After he practised law for 22 years, he held the position of a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India in 1971. He played a significant role in shaping Indian constitutional law. From May 1972 to June 1975, he served as Additional Solicitor General of India but resigned from the position during the Declaration of Emergency on 26 June 1975. Nariman represented Union Carbide in the infamous Bhopal gas disaster case, a decision he later admitted was a mistake. However, he played a crucial role in negotiating a settlement between the victims and the company outside of court, resulting in a compensation package of $470 million for the victims.
Fali S Nariman during a speech
From 1999 to 2005, he served as a President-appointee member of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the Parliament of India). He held various prestigious positions such as President of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, President of the Bar Association of India, Vice-Chairman of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, and honorary member of the International Commission of Jurists. He has also been a member of the London Court of International Arbitration since 1988 and was appointed to the Advisory Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in November 1999. He was appointed Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Commission of Jurists from 1995 to 1997. On 17 October 2014, Nariman represented former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalitha in a conviction case and earned bail for her, after her earlier bail plea had been rejected.
Awards
- 1991: Padma Bhushan
Fali S Nariman receiving Padma Bhushan
- 2002: Gruber Prize for Justice
- 2018: 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration
- 2022: SKOCH India Law Award
Fali S Nariman after receiving the SKOCH India Law Award
Death
On 21 February 2024, he died at his home in Delhi at the age of 95. He had several health problems, including heart issues.
Facts/Trivia
- Fali Sam Nariman was considered the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the legal community.
- Nariman was an internationally recognised jurist on international arbitration.
- The ‘Best Respondent’s Memorandum’ Award at the Vis Moot East, an innternational moot competetion, is named after Fali Sam Nariman.
- In January 2014, he published his autobiography titled ‘Before Memory Fades.’
Cover of the 2014 book ‘Before Memory Fades’