Criminal lawyers play a significant role in the country. It is essential that a criminal lawyer must possess some qualities such as dedication, hard work, and many more. Here is a list of the top criminal lawyers in India.

When actress Rhea Chakraborty hired Adv. Satish Manishinde to represent her in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, there was a lot of discussion at the time. Because she hired a pricey celebrity attorney like Mr. Manishinde, she came under fire from the media and social media. Many of us were left wondering who the nation’s top bigshot criminal attorneys were in light of this. Some very well-known, powerful, and best criminal lawyers in India can awe the entire court with their brilliant arguments and abilities. For those seeking expert legal representation or advice, exploring online lawyer consultation options can be a convenient way to connect with some of the country’s top legal minds.

Top Criminal Lawyers in the Country

The list goes as follows: 

Mr. Ram Boolchand Jethmalani

In the list of criminal lawyers, the top criminal defence attorney in India is Mr Ram Boolchand Jethmalani. He was born on 14 September 1923 and he is also a Rajya Sabha member and emeritus professor of law. He formerly held the positions of chairman of the Indian Bar Council and Union Minister of Law in India.

He excels at cross-examining witnesses, and his trial advocacy abilities are impressive. He has defended clients whose political views diverge greatly from his own, as well as those from a wide range of social backgrounds. Ram Jethmalani has successfully defended some well-known cases. 

He has handled a variety of cases, from the infamous KM Nanavati vs. Maharashtra government case in 1959 to the 2G accused in the multi-billion dollar 2G spectrum scandal in 2011. He pledged to lead the ex-legal servicemen’s battle in the Supreme Court without charging a fee and offered his support for the “One Rank One Pension” movement.

Mr Jethmalani appeared in several high-profile cases, including the following:

• When Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh were found guilty of killing the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Jethmalani defended them and contested the PMR testimony (medical proof) provided by T D Dogra.
• Jethmalani also argued in favour of Murugan, better known as V Sriharan, one of the Rajiv Gandhi assassins. With his recent claim that the May 21, 1991 suicide bombing that killed the previous prime minister was not an act of terrorism against India, he sparked a debate.
• He had appeared in the stock market defence of Ketan Parekh and Harshad Mehta.
• Jethmalani also represented Manu Sharma, who was found guilty of killing Jessica Lall.
• He represented criminal Don Haji Mastan in matters involving smuggling.
• In some phoney encounter cases, including the Sohrabuddin Sheikh Encounter case, he testified on behalf of Amit Shah.
• In incidents involving the 2002 riots, he supported the Gujarati government.
• He defended Kanimozhi, who was accused of the 2G scam.
• Asaram Bapu, 72, who is charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at his Jodhpur ashram, appeared to be freed by Jethmalani.
• In Delhi’s Uphaar movie tragedy, he played Ansals.
• He defended Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was found guilty in the issue of disproportionate assets.
• He supported Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy’s request for a special leave of absence to delay the CBI’s investigation into money laundering in his enterprises.
• In the fodder scandal, he argued on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
• He spoke on Subrata Roy’s behalf in the Sahara-SEBI lawsuit.
• In a case involving illicit mining, he had defended former Karnataka state minister BS Yeddyurappa.
• He recently represented former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court despite being a murder suspect.

Gopal Subramanium

Gopal Subramanium, a Senior Advocate who is 56 years old, mostly represents clients in front of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India. From 2009 to 2011, he was the Solicitor General of India. During that time, he also served as Chairman of the Indian Bar Council. He was a crucial figure in the establishment of the All India Bar Examination, a requirement for law graduates to be permitted to practise in India.

One of the youngest individuals to receive this designation in the Supreme Court’s history was Mr. Subramanium, who received it in 1993. Gopal Subramanium costs between ₹7 and ₹15 lakhs for each Supreme Court appearance and between ₹11 and ₹16.5 lakhs for each appearance before the Delhi High Court. Additionally, he charges ₹25 lakhs every hearing for tribunals.

He is a well-known attorney who served as lead counsel for the government in a variety of cases involving difficult criminal law issues, including:

• He served as Special Public Prosecutor for the State of Bombay in the Mumbai terrorist attack case, which resulted in the confirmation of Kasab’s death sentence.
• Served as the union government’s principal attorney in a lawsuit involving inconsistencies in the allotment of 2G radio-spectrum bandwidth to several private telecom operators from 2010 to 2011.
• Upheld the state-sponsored reservations for members of Other Backward Classes in India when acting as the Indian government’s representative in the case Ashoka Kumar Thakur v. Union of India.
• Additionally, he testified before the Supreme Court in the 1993 Bombay explosions case on the government’s behalf.
• Acting on behalf of the Supreme Court in the case Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India, he provided information about the realities of child trafficking in India and helped the court develop guidelines to combat the problem.
• In numerous matters, including the Sohrabuddin Sheikh false encounter case, he served as an amicus curiae for the Supreme Court.

K.T.S. Tulsi

K.T.S. Tulsi is one of the renowned criminal lawyers who served as the additional solicitor general of India and senior counsel in the Supreme Court. He had a brief stint (1973–1966) as a part-time lecturer before starting a lucrative career in criminal law. He is the author of two books: Goswami and Tulsi’s Landlord & Tenant Cases and Tulsi Digest of Accident Claims Cases. He was hired as a reporter for the Indian Law Reports in 1976. (Punjab Series).

Though the pen continues to be his preferred weapon, after being appointed a Special Prosecutor to fight terrorists in Punjab, Delhi, and Assam, he progressively shifted to the area of criminal law.

During a period of intense terrorism in Punjab, when no other attorney was willing to prosecute, Mr. Tulsi bravely took on the challenging task of prosecuting high-level terrorists with “A” grade classifications, including in cases like Operation Black Thunder, the attempted assassination of Mr JF Rebeiro, and the Talwara Bank Dacoity case. After he was appointed ASG, he continued to represent the state in a multitude of significant cases before more than 10 Constitution Benches of the Supreme Court. These included cases related to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the Bombay Blast, the Calcutta Bomb Blast, and several other important cases involving terrorist groups like the JKLF, LTTE, and PWG.

Sushil Kumar

In the hallways of the Supreme Court, a top criminal attorney wearing a sherwani is rarely overlooked. Sushil Kumar, a seasoned Supreme Court attorney, is regarded as the “only one” who can consistently find flaws in the prosecution’s case and give his client the benefit of the doubt. Many people can receive notice of an appeal, but when it comes to the merits of the case, Kumar must be found not guilty, according to his juniors.

He has a spiritual nature and is heavily influenced by the ideas of renowned philosopher Krishnamurthy.

Nobody demonstrates this more than Kumar, who is known for reading court cases even in his free time, who as it was once noted, “I must enjoy what I am learning.”

He is regarded as the expert to turn to in high-profile criminal cases, and he has a sterling track record to prove it. Parliamentary assailant Mohammed Afzal Guru, 2G suspects A. Raja and Kanimozhi, CWG fraud suspects Suresh Kalmadi and terrorist Abdul Naseer Maudany are just a few of his clients. 

Additionally, he represented P Rajagopal, a restaurant owner who was facing a life sentence for murder and defended Ansals in the Uphaar fire catastrophe case. Anyone can be persuaded of his competency in the courtroom by his fees, which are 5.5 lahks for each court appearance.

Conclusion

Finding the best criminal lawyer can be difficult for you, so that is why we are here with the blog to provide you with information about the best criminal lawyers in India. For any further information related to legalities in the country, don’t forget to get in touch with the legal experts of Vakilsearch.