A look at Harish Salve's career as he advises Tata Sons Chairman
Harish Salve began his legal career in 1980 at JB Dadachandji & Co, initially as an intern and later as a lawyer. While there, he assisted Nani Palkhivala in the landmark Minerva Mills case
- Sep 22, 2026,
- Updated Sep 22, 2026 1:30 AM IST
Harish Salve, one of India's most high-profile lawyers, is back in the spotlight. He has reportedly been brought in to advise Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran in the dispute with Tata Trusts.
Salve is a Senior Advocate who practices in the Supreme Court. He has built a global practice in international commercial arbitration and litigation. His areas of work also include public international law, human rights, civil fraud, energy, and tax.
His client list has included Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, Tina Ambani, Lalit Modi, and Salman Khan, as well as politicians Mulayam Singh Yadav and Prakash Singh Badal.
Among his major assignments, he represented Vodafone in its high-profile tax dispute with the Indian government, Reliance Industries in the Krishna Godavari Basin gas dispute, and Ratan Tata in the privacy case linked to the Niira Radia tapes.
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From chartered accountant to lawyer
Salve completed his Bachelor of Commerce from Nagpur University in 1975. He became an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1978 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Legislative Laws (LLB) from Nagpur University in 1980.
He began his legal career in 1980 at JB Dadachandji & Co, initially as an intern and later as a lawyer. While there, he assisted Nani Palkhivala in the landmark Minerva Mills case.
Palkhivala had influenced Salve's decision to move from chartered accountancy into law and later recommended that he join Soli Sorabjee's chambers as a junior.
Salve later moved to counsel practice and joined the chamber of Soli Sorabjee, the former Attorney General of India, in 1980. He served as Solicitor General of India from November 1, 1999, to November 3, 2002.
The noted lawyer was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 2015.
Salve was admitted to the Bar in England and Wales and was appointed King's Counsel in 2020.
In Case You Missed It: 'Majority among two is two': Tata Trusts says Chandrasekaran reappointment failed AoA condition, has no legal effect
Salve represented India in Kulbhushan Jadhav case
One of Salve's most prominent international cases was his representation of India before the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case against Pakistan in 2017. He successfully obtained an order restraining Pakistan from executing Jadhav pending the final decision of the court.
Salve also charged the Indian government a token fee of Re 1 for representing India in the case.
Then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed this publicly on May 15, 2017. "Harish Salve has charged us Re 1/- as his fee for this case," Swaraj wrote on X.
Salve also represented India before the ICJ in 2016 in a case filed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands relating to nuclear weapons. The court upheld India's objection to jurisdiction.
He has also appeared in several prominent criminal and commercial matters.
In the Uphaar Cinema fire case, he appeared pro bono as Special Public Prosecutor for the Central Bureau of Investigation. He represented the state from the trial court through the High Court and the SC.
Salve has also represented major companies in high-value tax and investment disputes. He represented Vodafone International Holdings BV in a major tax dispute involving the offshore transfer of shares of a Cayman Islands company by the Hutchison Group to Vodafone. He successfully argued that Indian tax authorities did not have jurisdiction to tax the transaction.
He also successfully represented Vodafone BV in a Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitration against India over whether the phone company should have withheld $2.2 billion in capital gains taxes.
Now, Salve's name has emerged in the dispute between Tata Sons and Tata Trusts, bringing one of India's most prominent lawyers into another closely watched corporate battle.
Harish Salve, one of India's most high-profile lawyers, is back in the spotlight. He has reportedly been brought in to advise Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran in the dispute with Tata Trusts.
Salve is a Senior Advocate who practices in the Supreme Court. He has built a global practice in international commercial arbitration and litigation. His areas of work also include public international law, human rights, civil fraud, energy, and tax.
His client list has included Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, Tina Ambani, Lalit Modi, and Salman Khan, as well as politicians Mulayam Singh Yadav and Prakash Singh Badal.
Among his major assignments, he represented Vodafone in its high-profile tax dispute with the Indian government, Reliance Industries in the Krishna Godavari Basin gas dispute, and Ratan Tata in the privacy case linked to the Niira Radia tapes.
Don't Miss: Tata Sons power struggle: Who will pay for the next legal battle?
From chartered accountant to lawyer
Salve completed his Bachelor of Commerce from Nagpur University in 1975. He became an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1978 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Legislative Laws (LLB) from Nagpur University in 1980.
He began his legal career in 1980 at JB Dadachandji & Co, initially as an intern and later as a lawyer. While there, he assisted Nani Palkhivala in the landmark Minerva Mills case.
Palkhivala had influenced Salve's decision to move from chartered accountancy into law and later recommended that he join Soli Sorabjee's chambers as a junior.
Salve later moved to counsel practice and joined the chamber of Soli Sorabjee, the former Attorney General of India, in 1980. He served as Solicitor General of India from November 1, 1999, to November 3, 2002.
The noted lawyer was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 2015.
Salve was admitted to the Bar in England and Wales and was appointed King's Counsel in 2020.
In Case You Missed It: 'Majority among two is two': Tata Trusts says Chandrasekaran reappointment failed AoA condition, has no legal effect
Salve represented India in Kulbhushan Jadhav case
One of Salve's most prominent international cases was his representation of India before the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case against Pakistan in 2017. He successfully obtained an order restraining Pakistan from executing Jadhav pending the final decision of the court.
Salve also charged the Indian government a token fee of Re 1 for representing India in the case.
Then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed this publicly on May 15, 2017. "Harish Salve has charged us Re 1/- as his fee for this case," Swaraj wrote on X.
Salve also represented India before the ICJ in 2016 in a case filed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands relating to nuclear weapons. The court upheld India's objection to jurisdiction.
He has also appeared in several prominent criminal and commercial matters.
In the Uphaar Cinema fire case, he appeared pro bono as Special Public Prosecutor for the Central Bureau of Investigation. He represented the state from the trial court through the High Court and the SC.
Salve has also represented major companies in high-value tax and investment disputes. He represented Vodafone International Holdings BV in a major tax dispute involving the offshore transfer of shares of a Cayman Islands company by the Hutchison Group to Vodafone. He successfully argued that Indian tax authorities did not have jurisdiction to tax the transaction.
He also successfully represented Vodafone BV in a Bilateral Investment Treaty arbitration against India over whether the phone company should have withheld $2.2 billion in capital gains taxes.
Now, Salve's name has emerged in the dispute between Tata Sons and Tata Trusts, bringing one of India's most prominent lawyers into another closely watched corporate battle.