Human rights lawyer Girish Patel remembered as the pioneer of PIL in India

Medha Patkar with Narmada dam oustees for whom Girish Patel fought

By A Representative
A public meeting in Ahmedabad to pay homage to well-known human rights lawyer Girish Patel recalled his contribution to the legal world as the pioneer of public interest litigations (PILs) in India. Born in 1932, Girish Patel passed way on October 6, 2018, and is known as a rare Gujarat High Court lawyer who fought for the underprivileged sections of society.
Organised by the Girishbhai Smaranjali Samiti, consisting of, among others, High Court lawyer trained under Girish Patel, Anand Yagnik, environmentalist Rohit Prajapati, civil society consultant Persis Ginwala, and activist-poet-singer Vinay Mahajan, those who participated in the meeting included large sections of underprivileged sections and activists from different parts of Gujarat for whom Girish Patel had fought in the High Court.
Veteran High Court lawyer Mahesh Bhatt, a close friend and colleague of Girish Patel, recalled how, before filing PILs, Girish Patel, armed with his strong ideological moorings, would visit the spots where exploitation was taking place. For instance, he personally inspected the migrant sugarcane workers, who were living in a bonded-like situation in South Gujarat, and ensured their freedom.

Girish Patel

Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar recalled the role of Girish Patel during the fight for the Narmada dam oustees, pointing towards how he stood by the people of the six villages who were uprooted in order to start the construction of the dam in 1980s. She said, he also stood by the displaced people at Ferkuva across the border in Maharashtra in early 1990s.
Pointing towards the importance Girish Patel attached to PILs, Manishi Jani, well-known activist-litterateur, quoted the human rights lawyer as once telling the High Court that this was necessary to tell keep the judges awake from time to time that "all is not well" in the world outside the court premises.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Anand Yagnik, who insisted on the need for unity of all those fighting for the sake of justice as the true tribute to Girish Patel, Rohit Prajapati, Dalit rights leader Jignesh Mevani, and Dr Kanu Kalsaria, former MLA, known for his fight for farmers in Bhavnagar district in the face of "onslaught" by powerful corporate sector.

Comments

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

Search This Blog