On December 17, the Centre appointed Supreme Court Advocate Madhavi Divan to serve as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) in the court till June 30, 2020, thus making her the third woman to hold this post in the apex court. In this role, Madhavi will represent the government in the Supreme Court.Senior Advocate Indira Jaising was the first woman to be appointed as the ASG, while...
On December 17, the Centre appointed Supreme Court Advocate Madhavi Divan to serve as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) in the court till June 30, 2020, thus making her the third woman to hold this post in the apex court. In this role, Madhavi will represent the government in the Supreme Court.
Senior Advocate Indira Jaising was the first woman to be appointed as the ASG, while Senior Advocate Pinky Anand, who still holds the post, was the second woman.
Madhavi has practised before the Supreme Court, appearing in several landmark constitution cases. She argued before the Constitution Bench in Sahara India vs. SEBI where the Court framed guidelines for the media in respect of coverage of court proceedings.
Earlier, on several occasions, she addressed the Constitution Bench on facets of privacy in the case concerning WhatsApp. Apart from these cases are several matters where key submissions were prepared and assistance rendered by Madhavi to the Attorney General and the Court in matters of great constitutional significance.
The Fourth Judges’ case, challenging the NJAC Constitutional amendment and the Dr. Subramanian Swamy matter that upheld the IPC provisions on criminal defamation, count amongst landmark decisions that have shaped the contours of power, politics and society. She has appeared in cases where the boundaries of free speech are being explored – on intermediary liability, hate speech, pornography, film certification, commercial speech and internet safety as in the Blue Whale case. She played a pivotal role in the Shayara Bano case where she was entrusted with the task of firming up the stand on behalf of the Union of India.
The landmark verdict delivered will help unshackle women long oppressed by the age-old practice of triple talaq. Alongside her interest in constitutional law, Madhavi continues to pursue her commercial practice in the Supreme Court, high courts, and tribunals.
In law colleges across the country, Madhavi is known amongst students, professors, and journalists through her authoritative work; Facets of Media Law, now in its second edition. Madhavi was on the editorial board of the magnificent book – ‘Courts of India: Past to Present’, published by the Supreme Court of India, and was the primary author of the chapter on landmark trials. She is Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Advocate, the journal of the Bar Association of India, once edited by Mr. C. K. Daphtary. She is on the Academic Council of the Maharashtra National Law University and on the governing board of several other educational institutions.