Special Prosecutor in the 2G scam case trial Uday U lalit became the third senior advocate in a row to be recommended for appointment as Supreme Court judge. The SC collegium headed by Chief Justice of India RM lodha recommended lalit’s name to the Centre. He will replace senior advocate and former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, whose appointment was stalled by the Centre on the ground of adverse reports forwarded by the Intelligence Bureau and Central Bureau of Investigation.
Recently, 58-year-old senior lawyer Rohington Fali Nariman was elevated as judge of the apex court making him the fifth member from the bar to become a judge in the history of the Supreme Court. If the appointment of lalit comes through, it will be the second consecutive appointment after Nariman. lalit is a renowned criminal lawyer and will get seven-year tenure as judge.
The collegium, comprising Justices Hl Dattu, TS Thakur, CK Prasad and AR Dave besides CJI, also recommended Meghalaya HC Chief Justice Prafull Chandra Pant, Gauhati HC Chief Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre and Jharkhand HC Chief Justice R Banumathi for appointment as SC judges.
lalit joined the Bombay Bar in 1983 and got trained in the chambers of eminent jurist Soli J Sorabjee. In 1986, he shifted base to Delhi and began practice in the Supreme Court. Eighteen years later, in May 2004 he was designated senior advocate by the Supreme Court, which marked a turning point in his career. He has represented high profile clients, including former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, in highly sensitive cases.
lalit maintains high standards of integrity and professional acumen. This served as the reason for the Supreme Court to appoint him as the Special Prosecutor in the 2G case trial. He also served as amicus curiae in the Forest Bench cases alongside eminent lawyer Harish Salve. He was roped in by the CBI in the coal scam case. But he withdrew from the case after he learnt of Jindal Group, whom he represented in the past, was one of the accused companies in the scam.
In the black money case, he held the brief for notorious stud farm owner of Pune Hassan Ali Khan and has defended many criminals and corrupt politicians in his successful tenure as a criminal lawyer.