Once upon a time, there was a man who rose from humble beginnings to become one of India’s most distinguished jurists and economists. His name was Nanabhoy Palkhivala and his story is one of the most inspiring tales in Indian history.
Nanabhoy Palkhivala was born on January 16, 1920 in Bombay, India, to a Parsi family. He had a difficult childhood as his father passed away when he was only four years old. Despite this, he was determined to make something of himself and worked hard to gain admission to St. Xavier’s College in Bombay. He graduated in 1940 with a degree in Economics and went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.
In 1947, Nanabhoy joined the Bar Council of Bombay, becoming an advocate of the High Court of Bombay. He quickly rose to prominence, becoming a leader in the Indian legal community. He was appointed as the Advocate General of the State of Bombay in 1952, and was a member of the Advisory Council of the Reserve Bank of India between 1952 and Throughout his career, Nanabhoy was a passionate advocate for the rights of the people of India. He was a champion of civil liberties and a vocal critic of the Indian government’s draconian laws. He argued several landmark cases in the Supreme Court of India, including the famous Kesavananda Bharati case, which established the doctrine of basic structure in India’s Constitution.
Nanabhoy was a prolific writer, authoring several books on legal and economic matters. He was also a noted public speaker, giving lectures on economics and law at universities around the world. He was a great proponent of free market economics, and was a founding member of the Mont Pelerin Society, a society of free market economists.
Nanabhoy Palkhivala passed away in 2002, at the age of 82.
He was a towering figure in the Indian legal and economic landscape, and his legacy lives on in the many contributions he made to his country. He will forever be remembered as one of India’s most inspiring figures.
