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Rohinton Nariman steps down as Solicitor General
Legal Correspondent

The trigger There has been speculation that Nariman (pic) was unhappy over certain directions of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar The minister, sources said, wanted him to appear in a case pending with the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal, but he was not willing The second senior-most law officer of the country, Nariman was appointed Solicitor General on July 23, 2011

New Delhi, February 4
Rohinton Nariman has resigned as Solicitor General amid speculation over differences with Law Minister Ashwani Kumar.

The minister wanted Nariman -- the country’s second highest law officer -- to appear in a case pending with the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), but he was not willing, sources said. Normally, only Additional Solicitor General argue before the Tribunal. The conversation is understood to have taken place on February 1, prompting Nariman to resign immediately. Both Nariman and Kumar were unavailable for comment.

Son of eminent jurist Fali S Nariman, Rohinton was appointed Solicitor General on July 23, 2011.

Coincidentally, his predecessor Gopal Subramanium had also quit following differences with the government on the telecom issue on July 14, 2011, expressing his resentment over the appointment of Nariman as special counsel to argue the 2G scam case in the Supreme Court. Prior to this, Subramanium was appearing for the government in the case.

Nariman became a senior advocate in 1993 at the age of 37, immediately after the then Chief Justice of India MN Venkatachaliah lowered the minimum age for the same from 45 years. He began his legal practice in 1974 after completing his LLB from Delhi University’s Law Centre with distinction.

Nariman was educated at Harvard University. Prior to his appointment as Solicitor General, he was normally handling corporate cases, which included the dispute between the Ambani brothers over the pricing of gas from the KG basin.