Delhi High Court: Saurabh Kirpal likely to become India’s first gay judge

The Supreme Court collegium recommended the elevation of senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal as a judge in the Delhi High Court. The recommendation, finalised in a meeting on 11 November, comes after the collegium rejected his candidature four times since 2018 based on an alleged objection from the union government.

If appointed by the Centre, Kirpal will be the first openly gay judge of a constitutional court in India. “The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on 11th November, 2021, has approved the proposal for elevation of Shri Saurabh Kirpal, advocate, as judge in the Delhi High Court,” read the collegium’s resolution stated.

Senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal is the son of Justice BN Kirpal, who was the 31st Chief Justice of India from May 2002 to November 2002. He completed his B.Sc (Hons) in Physics from St Stephens College, Delhi University and then went on to study law at the University of Oxford.

Saurabh Kirpal also holds a Masters in Law from the University of Cambridge. Saurabh Kirpal also briefly worked with the United Nations in Geneva. In his over two decades old law career in India, Kirpal has specialised in areas including civil, commercial and constitutional law.

Also Read: Sushant Singh Rajput’s family 5 member killed in road accident

In March 2021, Saurabh Kirpal he was designated as a senior advocate with all 31 judges of the Delhi High Court unanimously voting in his favour. Saurabh Kirpal is openly homosexual and speaks for LGBTQ rights. He has also authored a book called ‘Sex and the Supreme Court’.

His partner of 20 years Nicolas Germain Bachmann is European and works with the Swiss Embassy and a Swiss Human Rights activist.

Also Read: This Indian city bans selling non-vegetarian food from today