New Delhi: Eminent jurist and senior advocate Fali S Nariman passed away at the age of 95 in New Delhi on Wednesday.The former Additional Solicitor General of India died at his residence around 1 am today.
In a post on X, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi termed it "an end of an era". Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal in a post on X, said, "A great son of India passes away. Not just one of the greatest lawyers of our country but one of the finest human beings who stood like a colossus above all. The corridors of the court will never be the same without him. May his soul rest in peace."
Nariman was born to a Parsi family in Myanmar on January 10, 1929. He started his law practice at the Bombay High Court in 1950. Another senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said, "In the very sad demise of #FaliNariman, legal doyen, accomplished Parliamentarian and the very epitome of a true gentleman in all he did , the nation and the Indian Bar has lost an inspirational and towering personality. I shared some very special moments with him which I will always treasure. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Om Shanti."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking to X (formerly Twitter) mourned his demise and said he had devoted his life to making justice accessible to common citizens.
In a post on X, Modi said: "Shri Fali Nariman Ji was among the most outstanding legal minds and intellectuals. He devoted his life to making justice accessible to common citizens."
"I am pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud also condoled the death of legal doyen and veteran advocate Fali S Nariman, who died here at the age of 95.
"Mr Attorney General, we mourn the sad demise and passing away of Fali Nariman. He was a great giant of an intellectual," Chandrachud told Attorney General R Venkataramani as he began the day's proceedings in the apex court.
The National Judicial Appointments Commission verdict is among the several landmark cases of Nariman. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1999-2005.
Nariman was designated as a senior advocate in 1971. In May 1972, Nariman was appointed as additional solicitor general, which made him shift from Mumbai to Delhi but he resigned in June 1975, in protest against imposition of emergency by then Prime Minister India Gandhi. He is the father of former Supreme Court judge Rohinton F Nariman.
Nariman was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Padma Vibhushan in 2007. Nariman was considered a doyen of Indian bar and he also wrote several books, including autobiography, 'Before Memory Fades'.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, in her post on X, said, Nariman was the last of a generation of lawyers from Bombay who shaped and moulded the history of constitutional law in India, a voice that stood by secular values, for the independence of the judiciary. Senior advocate A M Singhvi also wrote on X on the passing away of Fali Nariman.
"A living legend who will forever be in the hearts and minds of those in law and public life. Above all his diverse achievements, he stuck to his principles unwaveringly and called a spade a spade, a quality shared by his brilliant son," Singhvi wrote on X.
“As a raconteur & after dinner speaker, #fali was matchless. It was he who said that using the phrase “horse trading” when humans defect is an insult to horses, very loyal animals. He would dig out nuggets of history & marry them incomparably with his wit when speaking”, said Singhvi.
