Mihir Desai

Mihir Desai
Nationality Indian
Occupation Lawyer
Known for Human rights activism

Mihir Desai is a human rights lawyer who practices in the High Court of Mumbai and the Supreme Court of India.

Career

Desai is the son of Neera Desai, (1925-2009), a leading advocate of Women's rights from a middle-class Gujarati family.[1] As a child he traveled with his mother to Rome and to the United States, where she had a one-year teaching assignment. His uncle ran a firm of solicitors.[2] Desai is a co-founder of the Indian People's Tribunal (IPT) and the Human Rights Law Network, and is a former Director of the India Center for Human Rights and Law.[3] He was co-founder with lawyer Colin Gonsalves of the human rights magazine Combat Law.[4] Desai addresses subjects that include illegal acts by the authorities, police brutality and sexual assault. He has assisted survivors of the 2002 Gujarat massacre. He was co-editor of the book Women and Law (1999).[3] He is an invited member of the India Regional Team of the "Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme".[5]

Sample cases

In 2003 Desai was assisting the Asian Human Rights Commission in their fight on behalf of Adivasi people to remain on land claimed by the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation.[6] Desai was co-convenor with Angana P. Chatterji of an IPT team that investigated communal violence in Orissa over a 20-month period in 2005/2006 and co-editor of the report that presented the findings.[7] Desai was legal council to the The International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir, and co-signatory to a February 2009 letter to Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, that requested action to address the abuses the tribunal had found.[8]

In April 2012 Desai won an unusually large award to the mother of a 2002 bomb blast suspect who had died in custody. Four police officers had been charged, and the government was to recover the money from these officers.[9] The government refused a plea to prosecute ten other officers who had allegedly been involved.[10]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Vibhuti Patel Monday (July 11, 2009). "Neera Desai (1925-2009): Pioneer of Women’s Studies in India". The Economic and Political Weekly. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  2. ↑ Mihir Desai (September 2, 0099). "I Called Her Ma". SPARROW newsletter. Retrieved 2012-04-21. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Armed Conflict in India: Working Group Members". University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  4. ↑ "About". Combat Law. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  5. ↑ "Members of the India Regional Team". Hivos Knowledge Programme. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  6. ↑ "UPDATE (INDIA): Landless people stand firm against continuing government attacks". Asian Human Rights Commission. September 8, 2003. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  7. ↑ Chatterji, Angana; Desai, Mihir (2006). "IPTCO In-depth Report on Communalism in Orissa". Radiance Viewsweekly. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  8. ↑ Angana Chatterji, Gautam Navlakha, Khurram Parvez, Mihir Desai, Parvez Imroz, Zahir-Ud-Din (13 February 2009). "Kashmir Tribunal Memorandum to CM Omar Abdullah". South Asia Citizens Web. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  9. ↑ "Dead terror suspect gets Rs 20 lakh compensation". IBN Live. Apr 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  10. ↑ "Death compensation spikes to Rs 20L, but 'killers' roam free". The Indian Express. Apr 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-21.

External links