Breaking: Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan retires from legal profession

Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan has retired from the legal profession.

In a terse letter addressed to Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Dhavan states,

“After the  humiliating end to the Delhi case, I have decided to give up court practice.

You are entitled to take back the Senior gown conferred on me, though I would like to keep it for memory and services rendered.”

Dhavan has, in the recent past, had a series of tiffs with various judges at the Supreme Court.

In 2013, during the hearing of the 2G case, Dhavan had hit out at Justice GS Singhvi for refusing to hear a case and recusing from the matter.

The fact that the Court had adjourned the matter did not go down well with Dhavan, who was representing one of the news magazines. He took strong objection to the same and demanded that he be heard the same day. When the Court refused to entertain him, an agitated Dhavan said,

“It is highly unfortunate. I don’t want to say this at a time when my lordship is retiring but I have to say it is highly unfortunate. You are denying me an opportunity to respond on the plea. It is highly arbitrary.”

A composed Justice Singhvi had, however, answered in a repetitive “very well”, and recused himself from the matter.

In 2014, during the hearing of the SEBI-Sahara matter, he antagonised the Bench of Justice KS Radhakrishnan and JS Khehar resulting in strong observations against his conduct.

Subsequently, he also had a tiff with former Chief Justice of India TS Thakur in the same case twice – in 2014 and 2016. Justice Thakur even went on to remark that the court should consider withdrawing senior designation of lawyers who are discourteous in court.

And most recently, he had a spat of Chief Justice Dipak Misra in the NCT of Delhi v. Lt. Governor case, with Misra J also taking serious objection to Dhavan’s conduct.

Dhavan was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court on May 11, 1994.

In September this year, Senior Advocate Ram Jethmalani had also retired from the legal profession.

Read the letter: