FALI S NARIMAN (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Recently, CJI  paid homage to the late Senior Advocate Fali S Nariman, stating that the values he embodied - unflinching ethics, indomitable courage, and an unwavering pursuit of principle provide a balm to the soul of the profession.

Fali S Nariman

• Born: 1929, in Rangoon (Myanmar), British India.
• Legal Career: Enrolled as an advocate of the Bombay High Court in 1950.

oIn 1971, he became a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court. 

oIn 1972, he was appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India, resigned a day after the imposition of Emergency in 1975, in protest.

oPresident of the Bar Association of India from 1991 to 2010.

• Political career: He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1999 to 2005.
• Awards: Received Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Padma Vibhushan in 2007 for contributions to law and jurisprudence.
• Notable works: Prolific author with notable works including "Before the Memory Fades" and "The State of the Nation."
• Legal System and Judicial Independence: He was part of was the challenge to the Constitutional amendment to set about a National Judicial Appointments Commission to replace the Collegium system for appointing judges.

o Arguing against the new system, the jurist had said the proposed commission would be a "complete anathema to judicial independence".