Geeta Luthra

Last updated

Geeta Luthra is a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India. [1]

Contents

Geeta Luthra
Nationality Indian
Alma mater Faculty of Law, University of Delhi,
University of Cambridge (LLM), (MPhil)
Occupation Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India

Career

Luthra began practicing law in the 1980s. [2] For thirty years, she practiced law with Senior Advocate Pinky Anand. [3] Luthra's legal practice experience includes criminal law, arbitration law, constitutional law, human rights and economic offenses. [4] Her cases have included women's maintenance and property rights, bail in offenses against women, and the right for transgender people to serve in the paramilitary forces in India. [2] She has also provided free legal services, including for female prison inmates in Bihar. [1] [3] In 2018, Luthra told the ThePrint , "Everyone deserves a chance at a fair trial," and "It is not my place to say what is right and what is wrong, I have always strived to work for a true sense of fairness. That is what makes me tick." [1]

Luthra currently represents former Union Minister M. J. Akbar in the criminal defamation case he filed against Priya Ramani for sexual harassment allegations she made against him during the MeToo movement in India. [5] [6] [7] [8] She also has represented Tarun Tejpal since 2013 [9] [10] [11] and Rajiv Kocher, brother-in-law of Chanda Kochhar. [12] In 2016, Luthra represented Shashi Shekhar Thakur in the Delhi High Court. [1] She has also represented Dubai-based businessman Rajeev Saxena. [13] [14]

In 2021, Luthra was one of two senior advocates who appeared in the Supreme Court on behalf of Bhartiya Janata Party leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who filed a petition seeking the uniform application of gender and religion-neutral adoption and guardianship laws throughout India. [15] [16] Luthra also represented the National Commission for Women (NCW) in its Supreme Court challenge to a Bombay High Court case involving a man accused of groping a 12-year-old girl, where the verdict was an acquittal due to a lack of "skin-to-skin" contact. [17] [18]

Commentary

Luthra has argued for statutory safety and privacy while implementing apps like Aarogya Setu, which are claimed to be in public health interest. [19] In 2017, she provided commentary as a human rights lawyer to The Statesman after the Supreme Court ruled that the right to privacy is a fundamental right. [20] In 2019, she spoke with Faye D'Souza of Times Now about the right to vote. [21] In 2019, Luthra provided commentary to The Print about an order from a Nanded family court that included a provision for a man to donate sperm to his estranged wife or have his refusal be used as grounds for divorce. [22]

In 2020, Luthra participated in a public debate about capital punishment with other attorneys that was hosted by the Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum. [23] In 2020, Luthra spoke out about the anti-conversion law. [24]

Associations

Luthra is the Vice-President of the Indian Council of Arbitration. [25] She is a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers [26] and LawAsia. [4]

Education

Luthra graduated from Lady Shri Ram College with a BA in Political Science in 1977 [27] and graduated from the University of Cambridge with an LLM and M.Phil. after winning the Inlaks scholarship. [1] While at Cambridge, Elihu Lauterpacht was one of her teachers. [1] She studied law at Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. [1]

Personal life

Luthra's father, K.K. Luthra, was a senior advocate, and her brother Sidharth Luthra is senior advocate [1] who has said Luthra helped support the start of his law practice. [28] Luthra's daughter Shivani has also joined the legal profession. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi</i> Indian drama television series

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is an Indian Hindi-language soap opera that aired from 3 July 2000 to 6 November 2008 on Star Plus. The show was co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under their banner Balaji Telefilms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. J. Akbar</span> Indian journalist and politician (born 1951)

Mobasher Jawed Akbar is an Indian journalist and politician, who served as the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs until 17 October 2018. Akbar is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, and was inducted into the Union Council of Ministers by PM Narendra Modi on 5 July 2016. He is also a veteran Indian journalist and author of several books. He was a Member of Parliament between 1989 and 1991, and returned to public life in March 2014 when he joined the BJP and was appointed national spokesperson during the 2014 general elections that brought the party back to office with a simple majority under the leadership of Narendra Modi. In July 2015 he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. During his long career in journalism, he launched, as editor, India's first weekly political news periodicals, including India Today, Headlines Today, The Telegraph, The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indira Jaising</span> Indian lawyer (born 1940)

Indira Jaising is an Indian lawyer and activist. Jaising also runs Lawyers' Collective, a non-governmental organization (NGO), the license of which was permanently cancelled by the Home Ministry for alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act in 2019. The Bombay High Court later passed an order to de-freeze NGO's domestic accounts. The case is ongoing in the Supreme Court of India.

Luthra is a surname originating with the Khatri Arora Hindu and Sikh communities of the Punjab. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "lakshman," meaning having a mark of good fortune. It is part of the broad Kshatriya caste. The Kshatriyas in Hinduism are one of the four varnas. They are traditionally members of the military or ran in an administrative capacity. The Kshatriya were assigned to protecting the Hindu dharma. They are from the Aryan race and have been ruling in the past through their kingdoms.

<i>Jhuk Gaya Aasman</i> 1968 Indian film

Jhuk Gaya Aasman(transl. The Skies Have Bowed) is a 1968 romantic comedy film directed by Lekh Tandon. It stars Rajendra Kumar, Saira Banu, Rajendranath and Prem Chopra. The music is by Shankar Jaikishan. The film is a remake of the American film Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). The film was commercially unsuccessful on its initial release, but has since garnered appreciation from both critics and audience. The rights to this film are owned by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarun Tejpal</span> Indian journalist

Tarun Tejpal is an Indian journalist, publisher, novelist and former editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine. In November 2013, he stepped down as editor for six months after a female colleague accused him of sexual assault. On 21 May 2021, a Goa trial court presided over by Justice Kshama Joshi acquitted him of all charges.

<i>Adaalat</i> (TV series) Indian television courtroom drama

Adaalat (transl. Court) is an Indian television courtroom drama anthology series about a defence attorney, K.D. Pathak, portrayed by Ronit Roy. The first season of the show premiered on Sony Entertainment Television on 20 November 2010 and ran for five years, ending on 11 July 2015. The show aired 431 episodes in its first season. Adaalat returned for its second season on Sony Entertainment Television on 4 June 2016 and ended on 4 September 2016. The show aired 26 episodes in its second season.

<i>Masti</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Indra Kumar

Masti is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language crime comedy film directed by Indra Kumar, starring Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Lara Dutta, Amrita Rao, Tara Sharma and Genelia D'Souza. The film released in 2004, and received positive response from critics, and also managed to do well at the box office. The film spawned two sequels, Grand Masti (2013) and Great Grand Masti (2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidharth Luthra</span> Senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India

Sidharth Luthra is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India. In July 2012, Sidharth Luthra was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General of India at the Supreme Court and represented the union and various state governments in matters relating to fundamental rights, electoral reforms, criminal law and policy issues. He resigned from this position in May 2014. He is the son of K.K. Luthra who was also a senior advocate and brother of senior advocate Geeta Luthra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana Ayyub</span> Indian journalist and writer (born 1984)

Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist and opinion columnist with The Washington Post. She is author of the investigative book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up.

Aman Lekhi is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India and is the former Additional Solicitor General of India in the Apex Court. He is named in the list of Top 100 Legal Luminaries of India by LexisNexis in May 2016.

<i>Gujarat Files</i> 2016 journalistic book by Rana Ayyub

Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up is a journalistic book about the 2002 Gujarat riots authored and self-published by Rana Ayyub. The book is dedicated to Shahid Azmi along with advocate and activist Mukul Sinha. The foreword of the book is authored by Justice B. N. Srikrishna.

The K.K. Luthra Memorial Moot Court was started in 2005 in the memory of late Senior Advocate Mr. K.K. Luthra. This is the only international criminal law moot court held in India and has seen participation from top law colleges in India and abroad. It is held every year in January at the Campus Law Centre in Delhi University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zulfiquar Memon</span>

Zulfiquar Memon is an Indian lawyer and the founder and Managing Partner of MZM Legal.

<i>Roja</i> (2018 TV series) Indian television series

Roja (transl. Rose) is an Indian Tamil soap opera starring Priyanka Nalkari and Sibbu Suryan. It premiered on 9 April 2018 and concluded on 3 December 2022. The soap opera was produced by Saregama.

The Indian#MeToo movement began in late 2018 to manifest in areas of the Indian society including the government, the media, and the Bollywood film industry. In India, the Me Too movement is seen as either an independent outgrowth influenced by the international campaign against sexual harassment of women in the workplace, or an offshoot of the American "Me Too" social movement. Me Too began gaining prominence in India with the increasing popularity of the international movement, and later gathered sharp momentum in October 2018 in the entertainment industry of Bollywood, centered in Mumbai, when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. This led to many women in the news media, Indian films, and even within the government to speak out and bring allegations of sexual harassment against a number of perpetrators.

<i>Section 375</i> 2019 Indian film directed by Ajay Bahl

Section 375: Marzi Ya Zabardasti?, better known simply as Section 375, is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language legal drama film directed by Ajay Bahl, written by Manish Gupta and produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak. It is based on Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code laws in India. The film stars Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadda, Meera Chopra and Rahul Bhat. Principal photography of the film began in January 2019.

Anuja Prabhudessai is a judge of the Bombay High Court, in Maharashtra, India. She is the first woman from Goa to be a High Court judge in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Mammen John</span> Senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India

Rebecca Mammen John is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, and works primarily in the field of criminal defence. She has represented parties in several widely reported cases, including the families of victims of the 1987 Hashimpura massacre, Indian stockbroker Harshad Mehta, and the accused in the Aarushi murder case. She has also been appointed as a Special Public Prosecutor on occasion by the High Court of Delhi, and frequently comments in leading newspapers and the media on issues of criminal justice reform in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priya Ramani</span> Indian Journalist

Priya Ramani is an Indian journalist, writer, and editor. In October 2018, during the Me Too movement in India, Ramani alleged sexual harassment against now-former Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar, and in February 2021, Ramani was acquitted in the criminal defamation case Akbar had filed against her. In October 2020, Ramani co-created the India Love Project on Instagram.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Singh, Nandita (October 20, 2018). "The LSR graduate who's a lawyer representing both MJ Akbar and Tarun Tejpal". The Print. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Sarda, Kanu (20 March 2020). "Geeta Luthra: Together with guts and wits". New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Rasheed, Mustafa (September 1, 2020). "Women in Law: Interview of Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra with Her Forum". Lawctopus. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Geeta Luthra". Difficult Dialogues. 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Saran, Mekhala (February 10, 2021). "Akbar-Ramani Case: How a Journalist Was Tried for Saying #MeToo". The Quint. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  6. ↑ FP Staff (November 10, 2020). "'Factually incorrect, mala fide': MJ Akbar's lawyer Geeta Luthra presents rejoinder in defamation suit against Priya Ramani". FirstPost. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  7. ↑ FP Staff (December 22, 2020). "MJ Akbar's counsel makes closing arguments in Priya Ramani defamation case; next hearing on 24 Dec". FirstPost. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Priyadarshini, Anna (January 18, 2021). "Priya Ramani's Vogue article about sexual harassment is 'fictitious', MJ Akbar's lawyer". Newslaundry. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hearing resumes on Tejpal's anticipatory bail plea". The Hindu Businessline. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "Tarun Tejpal granted interim bail, lawyers slammed in court". NDTV. AllIndia. November 30, 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Kumar, Hari (November 30, 2013). "Indian Editor Is Arrested in Assault of Employee". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Court directs withdrawal of lookout notice against Chanda Kochhar's brother-in-law". Economic Times. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  13. ↑ FE Online (January 30, 2019). "BREAKING: AgustaWestland accused Rajeev Saxena extradited to India". Financial Express. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "Who is Rajiv Saxena, Co-Accused in the AgustaWestland Case?". The Quint. February 12, 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Abraham (January 29, 2021). "Plea in Supreme Court seeks religion, gender neutral adoption process". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "SC agrees to examine plea for gender & religion neutral uniform law on adoption, guardianship". The Economic Times. Press Trust India. January 29, 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "NCW says skin-to-skin contact verdict 'perverse interpretation', SC issues notice". Daijiworld. February 10, 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "Skin to skin contact: SC agrees to hear NCW's plea against Bombay HC verdict". Yahoo News. Press Trust India. February 9, 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  19. ↑ Luthra, Geeta. "Covid-19: Balance between civil liberties and public health". The Daily Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  20. ↑ IANS (August 24, 2017). "SC ruling on privacy will have wider implications, say experts". The Statesman. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  21. ↑ D'Souza, Faye (April 12, 2019). "Faye D'Souza speaks to Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra on the 'Right to Vote'". TimesNowNews. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  22. ↑ Mandhani, Apoorva (June 28, 2019). "What if roles are reversed? Debate on court ordering man to give sperm to estranged wife". ThePrint. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  23. ↑ Ravi, Niharika (December 19, 2020). "Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum Debates Death Penalty". The Leaflet. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  24. ↑ "Is anti-conversion law becoming a political tool?". TimesNowNews. December 28, 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "About ICA". Indian Council of Arbitration. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  26. ↑ "Geeta Luthra". International Academy of Family Lawyers. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  27. ↑ "Distinguished Alumnae". Lady Shri Ram College. 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  28. ↑ Nangia, Tarun (January 15, 2020). "Siddharth Luthra and his mother". NewsX. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.