Who is Saurabh Kirpal, whose elevation as High Court judge is being contested by the Centre?

Centre considers him to be a ‘potential security risk’.

Hyderabad: The law circles of the country reverberated with one name this week – Saurabh Kirpal. The openly-gay advocate was recommended to be elevated to a Delhi High Court judge. If that happens, he will be the first openly gay judge on a Constitutional court in the country.

However, the Centre has urged the Supreme Court Collegium to reconsider its recommendation to elevate Kirpal as a judge. His name was recommended by former Chief Justice of India NV Ramana.

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According to reports, one of the many reasons behind the Centre’s opposition to his elevation as a judge is the lawyer’s long-term partner who is a Swiss national. Centre considers him to be a ‘potential security risk’.

In an interview, Kirpal stated that his elevation had been delayed “at least since 2017” and that he thinks is due to his sexual orientation.

While the possible tag of being ‘the first openly gay judge’ is what makes him a news personality now, Kirpal dons many other hats.

Born on April 18, 1972, Kirpal is the son of the 31st Chief Justice of India Bhupinder Nath Kirpal. He studied Physics at St Stephen’s College in Delhi and has a degree in law from Oxford University. He also has a master’s degree from Cambridge University.

Kirpal specialises in civil, commercial, and constitutional law and has been a part of landmark cases. He represented Sunil Mehra and Navtej who are among the many petitioners of the case that helped strike down Section 377 which criminalised gay sex.

He assisted the former Attorney General and senior Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohatgi. He also had a brief stint at the United Nations in Geneva.

He is also the editor of ‘Sex and the Supreme Court: How the Law is Upholding the Dignity of the Indian Citizen’. The book is a collection of writings by noted legal luminaries like Justice MB Lokur, Justice BD Ahmed, and Justice AK Sikri.

His latest book ‘Fifteen Judgements’ talks about cases that impacted the country’s financial landscape post-Independence. He is also a board member of the Naz Foundation Trust, a Delhi-based NGO that fights for homosexual rights.