Indira Jaising
Born 1940 · Age 86
Indian human-rights and women's-rights lawyer and activist; founder of Lawyers Collective; first woman designated Senior Advocate by Bombay High Court and first woman Additional Solicitor General of India; Padma Shri awardee; UN appointee on human-rights missions.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Bombay Presidency (Mumbai)
Born to a Sindhi Hindu family in Bombay Presidency (now Mumbai).
Completed school education (approx.)
Attended St. Teresa's Convent High School, Santacruz (Mumbai) and Bishop Cotton Girls' School (Bengaluru). (Year estimated based on typical schooling ages.)
Bachelor of Arts, Bangalore University (approx.)
Earned a BA from Bangalore University prior to postgraduate legal studies. (Year approximated to precede LLM.)
Earned Master of Laws (LL.M.), University of Bombay
Completed LL.M. at the University of Bombay (source: Wikipedia).
Began legal career (joined Mulla & Mulla)
Started career in law with the firm Mulla and Mulla in Mumbai (approximate mid-1960s start; Legal Era cites early work at Mulla & Mulla).
Started independent practice in labour courts, Mumbai (approx.)
Began independent practice, working in labour courts and representing trade unions and workers' rights. (Year estimated as 'mid-1960s'.)
Fellowship at Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (London) (approx.)
Reported to have had a fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London; year not specified in sources — approximate placement given here.
Represented Air India air hostesses for workplace equality (approx.)
Represented Air India air hostesses in litigation to secure workplace equality; source mentions she represented such groups early in career (date approximate).
Involvement with People's Commissions on Violence in Punjab (period)
Associated with People's Commissions investigating extrajudicial killings, disappearances and mass cremations in Punjab (work covered period 1979–1990).
Founded Lawyers Collective (with Anand Grover)
Co-founded Lawyers Collective, an NGO devoted to feminist and human-rights causes, with her husband Anand Grover.
Bhopal disaster representation (began)
Began representing victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy before the Supreme Court seeking compensation from Union Carbide Corporation (work spanned late 1980s onwards).
Olga Tellis / pavement-dwellers work (Olga Tellis judgment era)
Worked on Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation matters — established rights of pavement dwellers not to be evicted without hearing (mid-1980s constitutional work).
First woman designated Senior Advocate by Bombay High Court
Made history as the first woman designated a Senior Advocate at the Bombay High Court.
Founded monthly magazine 'The Lawyers'
Launched The Lawyers, a monthly magazine focusing on social justice and women's issues in the context of Indian law.
Mary Roy case (equal inheritance rights for Syrian Christian women)
Argued the landmark Mary Roy matter which led to equal inheritance rights for Syrian Christian women in Kerala (landmark judgment era mid-1980s).
Rupan Deol Bajaj case (sexual harassment prosecution)
Argued the Rupan Deol Bajaj case which successfully prosecuted K.P.S. Gill for outraging modesty — one of India's early successful sexual harassment prosecutions.
Visiting scholar at Columbia University (approx.)
Reported visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York (year not specified in sources; approximate placement provided).
Vishaka-related advocacy on sexual harassment at workplace
Worked on cases and advocacy that led to or supported the Vishaka Guidelines addressing sexual harassment at workplace (laid foundations for later legislation).
Githa Hariharan case (mother as natural guardian)
Argued Githa Hariharan case; Supreme Court held a mother is equally a natural guardian as a father in certain circumstances.
Contributed to drafting Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act
Played a collaborative role in drafting the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
Awarded Padma Shri (Public Affairs)
Received the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, for service to public affairs.
Elected to UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (first Indian woman)
Became a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); sources indicate election in 2008 (Legal Era).
Appointed Additional Solicitor General of India (first woman)
Appointed the first female Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India; Legal Era and other sources note appointment in 2009.
Naz Foundation/Section 377 litigation involvement (decriminalization moved forward)
Lawyers Collective involved in successful challenge that led to Delhi High Court decision decriminalizing consensual homosexual acts (Naz Foundation case, 2009 decision).
Novartis / access to medicines work (Lawyers Collective involvement)
Lawyers Collective participated in litigation/advocacy protecting the rights of the poor to access affordable medicines (Novartis patent litigation context; major judgment 2013).
Delivered first UN Public Lecture in New Delhi
Delivered the first UN Public Lecture on 25 November in New Delhi (UN Women – Asia Pacific announcement).
Stepped down / end of tenure as Additional Solicitor General
Tenure as Additional Solicitor General is widely reported as 2009–2014; she ceased serving as ASG in 2014.
Represented Teesta Setalvad in embezzlement-related defense (approx.)
Has represented activist Teesta Setalvad in matters where Setalvad was accused of misuse/embezzlement; sources reference representation though dates span mid-2010s.
Represented Priya Pillai (Greenpeace India) in travel/ free-speech case
Argued the case for activist Priya Pillai in a 2015 matter concerning freedom of speech/travel vis-à-vis environmental advocacy.
Challenged Supreme Court senior-designation procedure (Supreme Court v. Indira Jaising)
Challenged the procedure for designating senior advocates; proceedings described as Supreme Court v. Indira Jaising (admitted in 2016).
Lawyers Collective FCRA licence suspended for 6 months
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suspended the FCRA licence of Lawyers Collective for alleged FCRA violations (1 June 2016 suspension reported).
Home Ministry cancels licence of Lawyers Collective (reported)
Press reports (PTI/The Hindu) indicate Home Ministry action cancelling the NGO's FCRA licence in December 2016 (subsequent legal challenge followed).
Bombay High Court orders de-freeze of Lawyers Collective domestic accounts
Bombay High Court passed an order to defreeze the NGO's domestic accounts (reported February 2017) while broader FCRA proceedings continued.
Appointed to lead UN fact-finding mission on Rohingya abuses (Rakhine State)
United Nations appointed Indira Jaising to a fact-finding mission investigating alleged murder, rape and torture by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state (Reuters 30 May 2017).
Ranked #20 on Fortune's World's 50 Greatest Leaders list
Fortune magazine ranked her 20th on its 2018 World's 50 Greatest Leaders list; cited for legal work for the poorest in India and UN appointment.
Home Ministry permanently cancels FCRA licence of Lawyers Collective (reported)
Press reports indicate MHA permanently cancelled the FCRA licence in 2019 as part of mass cancellations; the NGO's case continued in courts.
Published Indian Express column criticizing Supreme Court's remarks on Nupur Sharma
Authored a column in The Indian Express criticizing the Supreme Court for remarks against Nupur Sharma in consolidation-of-FIRs matter (published 16 July 2022).
Ongoing Supreme Court litigation over Lawyers Collective FCRA issues
The cancellation and FCRA-related matters continued to be contested in courts up to and beyond 2023; Gujarat/Bombay HC orders and Supreme Court filings ongoing.
Profiled in financial and international press (ongoing coverage)
Featured in interviews and profiles (e.g., Financial Times) regarding human-rights advocacy and ongoing litigation involving Lawyers Collective (2024 coverage referenced).
UN Human Rights Council appointments referenced (related continued UN involvement)
UN listings/press releases through 2025 reference appointments to fact-finding missions and related accountability mechanisms in Myanmar/Rakhine and reaffirm her international role.
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