New Delhi: One of India’s most outspoken and principled voices at the Bar, senior advocate Dushyant Dave has announced his retirement from legal practice after nearly five decades in the profession.
At 70, Dave exits the courtroom leaving behind a formidable legacy marked by constitutional advocacy, public interest litigation, and a fearless critique of judicial power.
“I’m 70 now—it’s time for the younger generation to take over,” Dave told ThePrint. “I’ve been considering stepping away for some time now, and on my 70th, which was on 14 June, I discussed (it) with my wife. And then I decided to formally quit.”
“I’d like to devote myself to my grandchildren. Going forward, I hope to contribute to society in my own small way, and spend time doing the things I love—reading, socialising, traveling, golfing, and most importantly, being with my wife, who has been my unwavering support throughout this journey,” he said.
Dave said he is stepping away from the legal profession and the justice system with a sense of fulfillment, expressing hope that future generations of lawyers and judges will remain steadfast in defending the rule of law, which he described as being under considerable strain.
He was enrolled in 1978, initially practicing in Gujarat before moving to Delhi in 1986. Twenty years into practice, he was designated as a senior advocate in 1998, specialising in constitutional law, public interest litigation, corporate and commercial matters.
Over the years, Dave emerged as a go-to lawyer in high-stakes constitutional, commercial, and human rights cases. He served as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and was widely respected—even by adversaries—for his commitment to an independent and accountable judiciary.
The legal fraternity poured in tributes. Former colleagues remembered him as a “soldier for the rule of law” and an “unimpeachable lawyer and person.”.
“It’s a personal decision that he has taken at the age of 70. As far as youngsters in the profession are concerned, I think him being in the profession would be more beneficial than him not being in the profession,” senior advocate at Supreme Court, Sunil Fernandes, told ThePrint.
“Even if he does not actively practice, if one of the objectives in his post-retirement era is to be of more service to society, then even if he was to contribute in his own manner—to legal affairs, our current politics—even that would be better than him being totally away from public life.”
About Dave’s works, Fernandes said, “He has always been a voice of reason, conscience—he may take unpopular stands sometimes but they are something you have to pay attention to. You cannot always go with the flow. You need to have all different kinds of views and opinions in the public domain, and Mr. Dave was a fearless proponent of his opinion and his voices. This is something that the young lawyers would have continuously benefitted from his presence in the legal field.”
On a lighter note, he said, “It’s not that I agreed with everything he said or did but despite not agreeing with him on a couple of issues—I never doubted his sincerity, bonafide, commitment to the bar and the legal fraternity. So, that way he was an unimpeachable lawyer and person.”
The first thing, according to senior advocate Shoeb Alam, that comes to mind is that he was a bold and fearless senior advocate. “Even when many people would not want to publicly speak up—he wouldn’t think twice before speaking his mind on the state of the nation.”
“Not only as a senior advocate but one thing that everybody will agree with is that Dushyant Dave is extremely secular, both as an individual and as a professional—he was a democratic person. We can describe him as a soldier for the rule of law,” he told ThePrint.
Sharing an anecdote, Alam said, “I remember once he had told a bench of the Supreme Court in a hearing, to visit the corridors in disguise to find out people’s perception about the institution.”
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A legacy in the SCBA for youngsters
Fernandes recalled when Dave decided to contest the election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). “He had already acquired tremendous stature in the court. Traditionally, for several decades after independence, we always had distinguished senior advocates who used to adorn the office of the SCBA president. But in the last 20 years or so—we found that the presidentship was contested and won over by individuals who required that post to advance their private practice. They needed the post more than the post needing them,” he said.
This, he said, was not the case with Dave. “He belongs to the earlier or the rare breed of SCBA presidents who did not require that post to enhance their personal practice or stature. On the contrary, the prestige of the post was enhanced by him occupying that (position).”
The veteran should reconsider his decision, Alam asserted. “The void that his departure from practice has created will be felt. Always concerned about the present-day politics, he’d have long discussions with young members of the Bar encouraging them to rise to the occasion,” he added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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Jihadi terrorists and Islamists have lost a genuine friend. Mr. Dave was a great champion for them and fought countless legal battles on their behalf.
They would miss his legal services acutely.