Justice Shekhar B. Saraf has been officially sworn in as a Judge of the Allahabad High Court, marking a significant transition from his previous position at the Calcutta High Court. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker in a formal ceremony.
Also read- Madras High Court Achieves Record-Breaking Case Clearance Rate In Last Five Years (lawchakra.in)
Born on October 21, 1971, Justice Saraf is the son of the late Justice Sohan Lal Saraf and late Sulochana Saraf. He received his early education at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School and La Martiniere School for Boys in Calcutta. His academic journey led him to the prestigious National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, where he graduated with a B.A. LLB (Hons.) in 1996. Notably, Justice Saraf was the first NLSIU student to undertake a placement program with Mr. Dipankar Gupta, the Solicitor General of India, in New Delhi.
Justice Saraf’s professional career began at Arthur Andersen & Co., a global consulting firm, where he worked from July 1996 to December 1997, focusing on corporate law and indirect taxation matters. In January 1998, he joined the Chambers of Mr. R. N. Bajoria, Senior Advocate at the Calcutta High Court, specializing in Taxation matters. He was admitted and enrolled as an Advocate in the Bar Council of West Bengal on March 12, 1999, with his seniority as an Advocate dating back to January 19, 1998.
From 2001, Justice Saraf independently handled a diverse range of legal matters, including company matters, arbitration, central excise, customs, and income tax on both the Original and Appellate Side of the High Court, tax tribunals, and civil courts in Calcutta. He also advised private and nationalized banks on issues related to mortgage and recovery, representing them before the High Court, Debt Recovery Tribunals, and Consumer Courts.
In 2000, he was awarded the Chevening Scholarship for The Young Indian Lawyers Program, sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom. This program included a six-week study at the College of Law, York, covering subjects like International Arbitration, Competition Law, European Community Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions. In January 2001, he qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Justice Saraf’s career further expanded as he represented the Union of India at the Calcutta High Court from 2004, dealing with customs, excise, and company matters. He also served as a Senior Counsel for the Government of India in income tax matters from July 2010 and as a Senior Standing Counsel for central excise, customs, and service tax matters from December 2011.
His elevation to the judiciary came on September 21, 2017, when he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court at Calcutta. He was made a Permanent Judge of the Calcutta High Court on September 16, 2019, before his recent appointment to the Allahabad High Court. This new chapter in Justice Saraf’s career reflects his extensive experience and commitment to the legal profession.
Also read- Himachal Pradesh High Court Rules Non-Reporting Under POCSO Act As Bailable Offence (lawchakra.in)