Raian Karanjawala, who co-founded Karanjawala & Co with wife Manik, has had close friendships & lifelong associations with the big names in business & politics.
New Delhi: Few were surprised when Union minister M.J. Akbar, battling multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault amid India’s ongoing #MeToo firestorm, deployed leading Delhi-based legal firm Karanjawala and Co in his defence.
For those who matter in public life and find themselves in legal trouble, Raian Karanjawala, who co-founded the firm with his wife Manik, is the lawyer on call.
The managing partner of Karanjawala & Company has maintained close friendships and lifelong associations with many big names in business and political circles — from international media mogul Rupert Murdoch, to the Tatas, Ambanis and Wadias and former Prime Minister V.P. Singh. One of his closest friends is Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, whom he first met in college.
Also read: MJ Akbar sues Priya Ramani for criminal defamation over sexual harassment allegations
Known as a “master strategist” whose courtroom appearances are rare and part of strategy, Karanjawala has a unique area of expertise — high-profile and politically sensitive cases.
Karanjawala himself had faced allegations of sexual harassment but they were dismissed by the Delhi High Court in 2013. He also represented journalist Tarun Tejpal in the rape case against him and former Supreme Court judge Swatanter Kumar in a criminal defamation case against media houses related to a sexual harassment case.
So, it came as little surprise to legal circles when Akbar picked Karanjawala to pursue his criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, the first of at least 15 women to accuse him of unwanted sexual advances.
Soon after his firm took up the case, the vakalatnama (authority to represent in court) made it to various WhatsApp groups. The fact that the vakalatnama had 97 names — including Raian’s, his wife’s and two daughters’ — led to speculation on WhatsApp groups that Akbar was trying to intimidate the defendant.
Several people on social media pointed to the fact the the firm had adopted a similar tactic in Justice Kumar’s case, where it deployed over a dozen senior advocates in the criminal defamation case filed by him.
However, Karanjawala told ThePrint that the document in question was a “standardised vakalatnama” for the firm and that “it doesn’t mean all the lawyers will appear in court”.
“Only five to six lawyers will be there,” he said. “Please don’t be misled or guided by such wrong facts.”
Close friendships
By his own admission, Karanjawala has the one quality Napoleon always looked for in his generals — luck.
“There are people who have worked harder than me, who know far more than I do,” he told the Times of India in an interview in 2003. “Yet, I have managed to make a mark for myself.
“I manage through the efforts of others. Life has always been very kind to me,” he said.
Perhaps this is why Karanjawala’s professional success is always seen in light of the accomplishments of those around him.
He is married to Manik Karanjawala, a well-known lawyer and daughter of eminent jurist V.M. Tarakunde, a civil liberties champion.
The ‘Saturday brunch group’ of Karanjawala and his friends Jaitley, former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, and senior advocates Rajiv Nayyar and Anip Sachtey is the stuff of folklore among young lawyers in the city.
However, while Karanjawala has ‘friends’ everywhere, Jaitley, whom he met in 1971 at Shri Ram College of Commerce, remains one of his closest friends. For Lutyens’ Delhi, attending Jaitley’s birthday party, which is usually hosted by Karanjawala, is a must.
However, Karanjawala’s political hobnobbing began many years after he met Jaitley, while representing V.P. Singh before the Jain Commission, which was investigating the conspiracy behind Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
The firm
Karanjawala, along with wife Manik, founded Karanjwala & Company in the barsaati of father-in-law Justice Tarakunde’s house at Maharani Bagh.
When V.P. Singh became Prime Minister in 1989, all legal affairs of the erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India were handed over to Karanjawala’s firm. It was around the same time that Jaitley took charge as additional solicitor general of India.
Also read:MJ Akbar won’t resign, calls all #MeToo allegations political vendetta
The airline litigation changed the face of the firm, from a general corporate practice to the full-fledged litigation practice it is known for today.
His firm continues to draw a high-profile clientele that includes the Scindia and the Baroda erstwhile royal families, industrialist Ratan Tata, former union minister Jaswant Singh, and Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor.
This report has been updated to accurately reflect that the sexual harassment allegations against Karanjawala were dismissed by the Delhi High Court. The error is regretted.
Sincerely speaking, I am a kind of enjoying the whole episode of accusation, refusal and all the drama around.
For a common man like , this is nothing but entertainment.
Its like movies and serials, which are seen and enjoyed by common people, where rich, famous,educated are screwed , be it the victim or the accused.
Have just read the account of # 16,Ms Tushita Patel, in Scroll.in. Sooner or later, Mr M J Akbar will have to be dropped. Toxic, radioactive, albatross, call it what you will. There are just far too many women he has violated – I had recently estimated the number at 50, but that could be an undercount. and too many professional colleagues in media who know what is being outed is true. Untenable, indefensible, unforgivable.
A lawyer will do his duty for his client, that is his dharma. However, my heart beats for Ms Priya Ramani and all the brave women – the count is now 15, and rising – who are seeking redress.