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About Practice of Advocate Shobha Gupta

Started practice at Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench, under Mr MuniMan Ranjan, a leading lawyer (now designated as Senior Counsel) from December 1994 to December 1996. Assisted him and appeared independently in High Court, District Courts and almost all Tribunals at Jaipur.

Shifted base to Delhi in January 1997 and joined G.L. Rawal & Associates (Chamber No. 249, Delhi High Court) under Mr G. L. Rawal, Adv. (later designated as Senior Counsel) and extensively worked in Delhi High Court, Debt Recovery Tribunals, Consumer Forums, Central Administrative Tribunal and other Tribunals including Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CEGAT), AAIFR, BIFR, etc.

Thereafter, joined M/s K. L. Mehta & Co. under Mr S. K. Mehta, Chamber No. 33, Supreme Court. Worked with him till 2002 and while working with him independently argued matters in Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Debt Recovery Tribunals, Central Administrative Tribunal and other Tribunals. During this period continued with independent practice as well.

Became Advocate-on-Record in 2002 and started independent practice. After becoming AOR, as a matter of principle never filed matters for others as a signatory only. Worked extensively in Supreme Court of India and other courts, including Rajasthan High Court (both Principal Seat and Jaipur Bench), Delhi High Court, Patiala House, Saket Court, Rohini Court. Patiala House Court, Tis Hazari, National and State Commission for Consumer Disputes, BIFR, AAIFR, Company Law Board, DRAT, DRTs, Central Administrative Tribunal, Arbitration Tribunal, Central Empowered Committee (constituted by Supreme Court for environment matters), NCLT, NCLAT, NGT, Juvenile Boards, etc.

Experience Horizon Extensively worked all these years as a private lawyer in various fields of law, namely, Public Interest Litigations, Constitutional law cases, Civil disputes, Rent & Eviction cases, Criminal matters, Service law matters, Labour cases, Company law cases, Consumer Disputes, Education Matters, Mines Matters, Environment & Forest law, Contract and Arbitration cases, Matrimonial Matters, Cooperative Society cases, Cantonment matters, Human Rights Cases, Negotiable Instruments Act Matters, Prevention of Corruption Act Matters, Motor Vehicle Act cases, NDPS Cases, Land Acquisition matters, cases relating to banking law including the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions (RDDBFI) Act, 1993 and the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SERFASI) Act, 2002, NCLT & NCLAT cases, NGT cases, Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act Cases, Right to Information Act, 2005, Taxation and Customs Cases, etc. etc.

In addition to private practice, worked as panel lawyer for various government, semi government and private organizations including that of Erstwhile Rajasthan State Electricity Board (now divided in 5 companies), National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC, a Government of India Enterprise) and for Rajasthan State Road Development and Construction Corporation Ltd. (RSRDCC) (a wholly owned undertaking of Government of Rajasthan) for more than 10 years.

At present Panel Lawyer of National Human Rights Commission for last more than 16 years, other government, semi-government and private organizations including that of Educational Consultants India Limited (EdCIL, a Public Sector Company under Administrative Control of the Ministry of Human Resource Development), Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (RRVPNL), Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigan Limited (JVVNL), Official Liquidator attached to Rajasthan High Court, Various Association of private schools all over India, etc. etc.

Associated with various social causes incapacity of a lawyer including providing free legal aid to juveniles found on the wrong side of the law, participating in camps for legal aid to the poor, free legal aid in general too poor, etc. Represented the National Human Rights Commission in several cases in Supreme Court and Delhi High Court for more than a decade. Long association with various legal cases of private schools, which includes fee fixation matter, guidelines regarding admission, amendment in Payment of Gratuity Act, Ganguly Committee Report, challenge to Right to Education Act, etc. etc.

Founder of “FLAG- Free Legal Aid Group” for imparting free legal aid to juveniles detained on being found on the wrong side of the law. This group also had blessings, guidance and kind association of Mr Vijay Hansaria, Senior Advocate (Supreme Court) and also had full support and guidance of Hon'ble Mr Justice Madan B. Lokur, the then Chairperson of Juvenile Justice Committee of Delhi High Court (Retd. As Hon'ble Judge of Supreme Court). Mrs Minna Kabir W/o Justice Altmas Kabir (late), the then sitting judge of the Hon'ble Supreme Court) was the guiding lamp and working Associate of ‘FLAG’. FLAG was the first ever such kind of legal aid group for juveniles in Delhi. Two-three members of this group used to attend the juvenile boards daily to assist the juvenile and their parents. I was single-handedly assigning work to the lawyers in the group, assisting them in preparing the matters to appear in the board each next day. The group used to meet the juveniles detained in the observation homes on a daily basis even helped the juveniles in reaching to their country either on getting relieved or discharged. With the untiring endeavours of this group, the strength of a total number of inmates got reduced significantly (like from 250 to 50 in Kingsway Camp, Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi. This group also brought tremendous change in mindset and approach of the Magistrates manning the Boards and sensitized them to the fact that the juvenile justice boards are not the regular criminal courts and the children before they are not criminals.

Extended pro-bono services in Gujarat Riot matter (Bilkis Bano) since the year 2003 till date and still on board fighting for exemplary compensation to Bilkis for the violence on her person and soul at the hands of the perpetrators in connivance of the persons in uniform.

Filed PILs and intervened as well and obtained remarkable orders, which have been successfully implemented on the issues of Water Logging in Delhi (from Delhi High Court), improvement of Mental Health Care Institutes in the country (from Supreme Court), missing children (from Supreme Court), Implementation of Mid Day Meal Scheme (still pending in Supreme Court), grant of license of minor mineral (Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench), are few to mention.