Sanjay Hegde Explained

Sanjay R Hegde (born 19 July 1965) is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India.^[1] He is a leading voice for civil rights ^[2] He was one of the two amicus curiae appointed by the Supreme Court of India to assist the court in the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder.^[3] He was appointed as an interlocutor by the Supreme Court of India to talk to the protestors at Shaheen Bagh protest.^[4]

Early life and education

Sanjay R Hegde was born in Manipal. His father was a lawyer practicing at the Bombay High Court. After completing his class I in Manipal he moved to Mumbai where he studied till class X. After class X, he spent five years in Manipal and completed his B.Com, before moving to Mumbai to study law at KC Law College.^[5]

He got selected in the UPSC Civil Service Aptitude Test for allied Indian Administrative Services.^[6] He had been a debater and a quizzer during his college days.

Legal career

He started his career as a lawyer in 1989, working at M/s Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe Solicitors. He moved to Delhi to work in the chamber of Senior Advocate G. Ramaswamy, a former Attorney-General for India.^{[7] [8] [9]}

He has represented several people who were declared foreigners in the NRC case^{[10] [11]}

He writes frequently in major Indian newspapers^[12] and magazines and appears as a legal expert on news channels.^[13]

Case Against Twitter

On 27 October 2019, Hegde's Twitter account was suspended for posting an anti-authoritarian image.^[14] He filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against the suspension of his account by Twitter.^{[15] [16]} In its filing before the HC, Government of India has contended that suspension of Hegde's account by Twitter violates law on free speech.^[17] Earlier, Government had said that it has nothing to do with Sanjay Hegde's account suspension.^[18]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Senior Advocates Designation | SUPREME COURT OF INDIA. main.sci.gov.in.
2. Web site: Lawyer in 2002 riots & lynching cases, Sanjay Hegde to head Shaheen Bagh talks team. February 17, 2020.
3. Web site: Nirbhaya amicus curiae to stay: SC | Delhi News. The Times of India. Times News Network. July 19, 2016.
4. Web site: Who is Sanjay Hegde, the Lawyer Asked to Mediate with Shaheen Bagh Protesters. February 17, 2020. News18.
5. Web site: Stanley. Pinto. February 19, 2020. Interlocutor who strongly believes in free speech | Mangaluru News. The Times of India.
6. Sanjay. Hegde. Shreesha Kailankaje. Sanjay Hegde, Senior Advocate, on building a legal practice, arguing on landmark cases and on legal journalism . 25 June 2016. Superlawyer .
7. Web site: Who is Sanjay Hegde, the Lawyer Asked to Mediate with Shaheen Bagh Protesters . 17 February 2020 .
8. Web site: Empanelled Network. www.cede.co.in.
9. Web site: To practice in Delhi, it matters who you are and what title you hold: Sanjay Hegde. Aditya. AK. Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news.
10. Web site: The NRC case: The Supreme Court's role. V.. VENKATESAN. Frontline.
11. Web site: The fate of those excluded from NRC will haunt India: Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde. Arshu. John. The Caravan.
12. Web site: Sanjay R Hegde. January 5, 2018.
13. Web site: Sanjay Hegde: Latest News, Photos, Videos on Sanjay Hegde. NDTV.com.
14. Web site: SC Lawyer Sanjay Hegde's Twitter Account Removed After Suspensions . 29 October 2019 .
15. Web site: Right to Exclusion, Government Spaces, and Speech — the Centre for Internet and Society .
16. Web site: Sanjay Hegde moves Delhi HC against suspension of Twitter account, seeks guidelines to curb censorship on social media . 16 December 2019 .
17. News: India Shifts Stance, Berates Social Media for Censorship . Bloomberg.com . 9 May 2022 .
18. News: 'Twitter account suspension between Hegde and site' . The Hindu . 9 February 2020 .