On Monday, 21st October, 2018, India’s Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu, honoured the country’s and our Community’s leading jurist, Sr. Advocate Fali Sam Nariman, with the prestigious ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration’, at a function held in the capital.
Naidu praised Fali Nariman saying that Nariman was known to have always displayed an impeccable sense of justice, a deep sense of duty and profound concern for his fellow human beings. “He is one of the best eminent jurists in India and this felicitation doesn’t add any glory to him. Instead, this honour makes the younger generation to take him as an inspiration,” he added.

One of India’s most distinguished constitutional lawyers who has argued several leading cases and senior advocate to the Supreme Court of India since 1971, 89-year-old Fali Nariman was the recipient of the 19th Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award. The President of Bar Association of India since 1991, Nariman is a globally recognised jurist on international arbitration, and has served as the Additional Solicitor General of India from 1972 to 1975.

Over the years, he has been conferred numerous prestigious honours and awards across national and global platforms, including the prestigious Padma Bhushan (1991); the Padma Vibhushan (2007) and the Gruber Prize for Justice (2002). He was also nominated by the President as a Rajya Sabha member, Upper House of Parliament (1999–2005).

Speaking on the occasion, Fali Nariman expressed that he was happy “not just because Lal Bahadur Shastri is a great name in India’s history, but also because it (the award) is to be presented by another great son of India, Venkaiah Naidu”.

The award was instituted in 1999 by Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management in memory of India’s second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. It is awarded annually to an Indian who has displayed exceptionally outstanding and distinguished individual contributions and achievements. The award consists of a cash award of Rs. 5,00,000 plus a citation and plaque.