Prominent Supreme Court advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, a figure known for his frequent public interest litigations (PILs) on high-profile national issues and for representing a convict in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case, passed away on Friday. He was 69 years old.
Sharma had been reportedly undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments. His death marks the end of a controversial and highly visible career in the corridors of India's top court, where he was often colloquially termed a "serial petitioner."
A Career Defined by High-Profile PILs
Manohar Lal Sharma built a reputation for approaching the Supreme Court with PILs on virtually every major political or economic controversy that captured headlines. The PIL mechanism, intended to allow citizens to seek justice on matters of public interest, became his primary tool.
His most significant legal intervention was as the lead petitioner in the coal block allocation scam case, a massive controversy that rocked the nation. Beyond this, his legal filings spanned a wide spectrum: from the Rafale fighter jet deal and the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir to the Pegasus snooping allegations and the Hindenburg research report on the Adani group.
However, the Supreme Court often viewed his petitions with skepticism. Numerous benches dismissed his pleas, frequently noting they lacked substantive legal grounds or were primarily based on newspaper reports. Over the years, the court imposed monetary costs on him on multiple occasions for wasting precious judicial time.
Controversial Role in the Nirbhaya Case
Apart from his PIL-driven practice, Sharma drew significant public attention and criticism for his role in the December 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. He defended one of the accused, who was later convicted and executed.
His controversial remarks about the victim in a subsequent BBC documentary sparked outrage. The incident led the Supreme Court Women Lawyers' Association to petition for a ban on his entry to the apex court premises, highlighting the deep discomfort his statements caused within the legal community.
The Journey of a Persistent Advocate
Born in 1956, Manohar Lal Sharma began his legal practice at the Allahabad High Court in 1991 before shifting his base to Delhi and eventually the Supreme Court. Despite the repeated imposition of costs by the court, he remained undeterred, continuing to file petitions on issues he deemed of national importance.
His persistence, whether viewed as vexatious or dedicated, made him a unique fixture in India's legal landscape. Sharma's passing closes a chapter on a particular style of advocacy—one that leveraged the PIL as a constant, if often unsuccessful, check on power through the nation's highest court.
