Who Is Harish Salve, Set To Take On Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic Disqualification Appeal

The hopes of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat and millions of fans now rest on the shoulders of renowned lawyer Harish Salve, who will represent Phogat in her appeal against a disqualification ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Salve, a distinguished former Solicitor General of India and a King’s Counsel, has an impressive track record in high-profile legal battles.

His notable cases include defending Kulbhushan Jadhav at the International Court of Justice and representing Ratan Tata in his legal struggle against Cyrus Mistry. Salve also gained prominence for his role in the Aarushi-Hemraj case.

Phogat, who made history as the first Indian woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, faced disqualification due to being 100 grams overweight just before her gold medal match on Wednesday.

In a poignant turn of events, she announced her retirement from wrestling the following day. Phogat has since challenged the disqualification at CAS, seeking to have a joint silver medal awarded to her.

Who Is Harish Salve?

Harish Salve, a leading legal figure in India, hails from Maharashtra and completed his law degree at Nagpur University. He began his career as a senior advocate at the Delhi High Court in 1992 and was appointed Solicitor General of India in November 1999.

Son of former minister and cricket administrator NKP Salve, Harish Salve was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2015 and was named Queen’s Counsel for Wales and England in January of the previous year. His esteemed clients include the Tata Group and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.

Salve’s recent high-profile cases include:

• Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: In 2016, Salve represented India at the International Court of Justice, successfully securing a provisional stay on the death sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was accused of espionage by Pakistan. Remarkably, Salve charged just Re 1 for his services.
• Ram Temple Dispute: Salve played a crucial role in representing the Hindu side in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. The Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling led to the construction of the Ram Temple at the contentious Ayodhya site.
• Tata Sons vs. Cyrus Mistry: In 2016, Salve represented Tata Sons in the Supreme Court, where his adept legal arguments upheld the decision to remove Cyrus Mistry as executive chairperson of Tata Sons.

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