Rajiv Luthra, who died on Wednesday at the age of 67, was one of India’s best lawyers, and also among its most-loved. His sudden passing is being mourned deeply--by colleagues in the legal profession, in corporate India, in the judiciary and by Network18, where he was an independent director.
“I am sorry to hear of Rajiv’s passing. What a wonderful and full life he led and what a great man, father, son, husband, friend he was, said Adil Zainulbhai, the chairman of the Network18 group and the head of the government’s Capacity Building Commission. “It’s a huge loss but we celebrate the man he was and the large than life persona he was.”
Luthra, who leaves behind his wife Gayatri and his daughters Sana and Arshia, was a late entrant to the legal profession but he more than made up for lost time. Luthra started his law studies late, at the age of 31, after qualifying as a chartered accountant. He went on to establish his own law firm Luthra and Luthra, in 1989. At one time, the firm had over 350 lawyers across its offices.
“He was not just the Founder and Managing Partner, but the voice of the Firm and inspiration to all members of the Firm. He will be remembered for his magnanimity, ethics, leadership and larger-than-life personality,” the firm said in a statement. “On behalf of all the members of the Firm, we extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Luthra’s family and stand by them in these difficult times.”
Luthra was a man of many talents and interests. Other than being a lawyer and a chartered accountant, he was a genuine lover of the outdoors. So much so that he started an adventure travel company before setting up his law firm.
“Rajiv Luthra was numero uno in many fields,” said Additional Solicitor General Balbir Singh.
Luthra was a man of many talents and interests. Other than being a lawyer and a chartered accountant, he was a genuine lover of the outdoors. So much so that he started an adventure travel company before setting up his law firm.
Senior advocate Amit Desai described Luthra as an entrepreneur in the legal profession, making his debut in the highly-competitive market in Delhi. From litigation to transactional work, his expertise spanned the gamut, and so did his clientele.
Luthra studied several courses at Harvard Law School over seven years and became an expert in the emerging areas of law.
Luthra was a sharp lawyer who was always on the ball. Just last year, he told Moneycontrol about how his firm had introduced novel practice areas such as ESG, Blockchain, Internet of things, and estate planning.
Retired supreme court judge Justice BN Srikrishna, who headed the Srikrishna Commission, which investigated the causes of the Mumbai riots of 1992-93, recalled Luthra as a gentle and amiable person “whose words were filled with kindness.”
Luthra loved gadgets, and whenever he could find time, he would head off to the golf course to play a few holes, sharing anecdotes aplenty with his partners on the greens.
"A stalwart of Indian law, Rajiv left a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of all his colleagues and clients. He set up one of India’s most prominent law firms, and his contribution has been instrumental to the evolution of law firms in India," said Haigreve Khaitan, Senior Partner at Khaitan & Co.
"I have fond memories of collaborating and interacting with him through the years and will always carry the lessons of warmth, kindness and generosity that I learned from him in my heart," he added.
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