Geeta Luthra

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

Geeta Luthra
NationalityIndian
Alma materFaculty of Law, University of Delhi,
University of Cambridge (LLM), (MPhil)
OccupationSenior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India

Career

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b c Sarda, Kanu (20 March 2020). "Geeta Luthra: Together with guts and wits". New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Rasheed, Mustafa (September 1, 2020). "Women in Law: Interview of Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra with Her Forum". Lawctopus. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b "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.
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