Public Interest Litigation & Interventions
- Was academic intervenor cum amicus before the Supreme Court in a landmark patent case, Novartis v. Union of India, where the Court relied significantly on arguments that he had advanced.
- Filed a writ petition against the UIDAI seeking damages for breach of privacy.
- Filed a writ petition against the Government of India, challenging the constitutionality of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB), India’s specialized IP tribunal. Court ruled in his favour striking down key aspects of the IPAB selection process.
- Filed PIL to direct the government to enforce India’s “patent working” disclosure requirements. Delhi High Court passed two largely favourable orders. Comments on Issues Related to Working of Patents under the Patents Act, 1970 can be viewed here.
- Filed a PIL before the Supreme Court in 2015 arguing that CLAT must be institutionalised and not left to individual law schools to conduct. Matter yet to be decided.
- Filed a PIL before the Delhi High Court in July 2014 arguing that the RTI must be given pre-eminence over all other statutes when it comes to information dispensation to the public.
- Intervened in a copyright law suit as part of a group of academics (SPEAK) interested in furthering access to education. This law suit was filed by OUP and other leading publishers against Delhi University for copyright infringement in creating course packs. The court ruled in our favour and the Supreme court refused to intervene.
- Helped slum dwellers file a writ petition to prevent the demolition of their dwellings in Kolkata. The Kolkata high court was pleased to grant a stay against eviction of slum dwellers without granting them alternative housing.
- Helped file a writ petition for an IDIA scholar challenging a rule that prevents blind candidates from becoming district judges.
- Helped Michael Sam, an orphaned IDIA scholar file an impleadment application before the Supreme Court challenging the age bar imposed by the Bar Council of India (BCI) for the study of law.
- Helped track sailors who went missing on the high seas, owing to a ruthless network of middlemen who sold them to foreign ships that exploited their labour under minimal regulatory oversight.
- Investigated the extent of working of pharmaceutical patents in India. Filed RTIs to determine the extent of “working” of pharmaceutical patents in India. Compiled report and presented to Controller General Kurian. As a result of this investigation, the Government made all working statements publicly available.
- Filed a writ petition before the Gujarat High Court on behalf of an underprivileged student who was denied admission to GNLU on an arbitrary ground.
- Led the P-PIL team that submitted a petition and a research note on the rights of visually impaired and provision of scribe facility in 2012, resulting in organisers of CLAT and AILET adopting a disabled friendly policy for them.
- Submitted a letter to DIPP in 2016 highlighting its constitutional incompetence to issue an office memorandum interpreting Section 31D of the Copyright Act, 1957 (dealing with statutory licenses in favour of broadcasting organisations that communicate copyrighted content to the public) to cover ‘internet’ broadcasts as well.
- Submitted a petition to the BCI to permit legal academics to practice law in 2019.