Harish Salve: The Advocate Who Represented India At ICJ In Kulbhushan Jadhav Case For 1 Rupee

The International Court of Justice on July 17, stayed the execution of the sentence passed in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, in a major diplomatic win for India.

A lot of praise and accolades were showered on the External Affairs Ministry, former External Minister Sushma Swaraj and Advocate Harish Salve.

Advocate Harish Salve who represented India at the ICJ, opposing the death penalty awarded to Jadhav by Pakistan, charged a token amount of Re 1 for fighting the case.

“I am gratified as a lawyer. I feel a sense of relief with the verdict….The court said there is no question of execution…so, I am very happy,” Salve said, after the historic ICJ verdict.

I thank Mr.Harish Salve for presenting India's case before ICJ very effectively and successfully. /3

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 17, 2019

Well done Harish Salve. We are proud of you for this victory.

— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) July 17, 2019

From Chartered Accountant To Successful Advocate

Salve is considered one of the finest minds in legal circles. He is also one of the highest-paid lawyers in the country.

In 2017, India Today magazine placed Salve at 43rd rank in the list of 50 most powerful people.

Interestingly, the 64-year-old was a chartered accountant before taking up law. Born into a Marathi family where his father NKP Salve was a CA himself, it was a natural path drawn up. However, jurist Nanabhoy Palkhiwala inspired Salve to take up law.

Notably, Salve’s grandfather PK Salve was a criminal lawyer and his great grandfather was a subordinate judge.

Salve began his career as a lawyer in 1980 at JB Dadachamdji & Co as an intern. He climbed up the power ranks and soon started working as a full-time lawyer there.

Salve was appointed as Amicus curiae by the Supreme Court in cases pertaining to environmental preservation in 1985.

Between November 1, 1999, and November 3, 2002, Salve served as the Solicitor General of India.

In 2013, he was admitted to the English Bar and later, he joined top English barristers’ at Blackstone Chambers.

Salve has represented high-profile clients like Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited, Tata Group and ITC Limited through his career.

He also appeared for Bilkis Bano in 2003 and acted as a defence counsel in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case.

Also Read: Kulbhushan Jadhav Execution Stayed Again, ICJ Says India Has Right To Consular Access