3 min readNew DelhiFeb 22, 2024 09:31 AM IST
First published on: Feb 22, 2024 at 04:15 AM IST
PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu mourned the passing of the “titan among legal luminaries”; Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar called it an “unbridgeable loss,” and his legacy and contribution a “guiding light to the nation.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “among the most outstanding legal minds and intellectuals” who “devoted his life to making justice accessible to common citizens.” Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud called him “great giant of an intellectual.”
Fali Nariman’s death early Wednesday evoked an outpouring of grief, respect and a deep sense of loss with voices — cutting across party lines — joining in to mourn his passing.
From Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge; Sonia and Rahul Gandhi; ex-president Ram Nath Kovind and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin, tributes poured in from across the nation.
“Fali Nariman’s passing is a tremendous loss for The Indian Express and for me personally,” said Viveck Goenka, chairman, Express Group. “His association with us started with Ramnath Goenka and the Emergency, but it did not end there. His relationship with the Indian Express deepened over the years and was beyond that of lawyer and client — he was more like Ramnathji’s kindred spirit. Fali took no fees from the Express, and always said it was because he believed that the paper continues to uphold the values of Ramnathji, values that need constant vigil and ever-spirited defence.
At Nariman’s home in New Delhi Wednesday. On the wall is a photo of him with wife Bapsi who died in 2020. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)
“We have lost an intellectual giant, a titan of the law who epitomized intellect combined with dignity, grace and an uncompromising commitment to justice. He and his work will remain an inspiration — and a guiding light – for all those who believe in the cause of a free press and its role in securing the democratic rights of our citizens. May his soul rest in peace,” Goenka added.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta recalled the professional as well as personal rapport he had with the jurist. “The country has lost the epitome of what righteousness stood for. The legal fraternity is intellectually poorer today. Such intellectual giants do not die. They remain immortal through their contribution. There cannot be and will not be another Fali Nariman,” Mehta said.
Fali Sam Nariman 
At Nariman’s home in New Delhi Wednesday. On the wall is a photo of him with wife Bapsi who died in 2020. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)
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