Called to the Bar in 1971, Kavi, as he is known amongst friends and fellow lawyers, started practice in the High Court, mainly on the civil side. He also authored books on Tenancy Laws & Accidental claims. However, the love for academics always overtook the lawyer in him as he kept himself associated with his Alma Mater as a part-time lecturer in law. His distinguished performance as an advocate as well as a lecturer earned him the sought after appointment as a reporter of Indian Law Reports (Punjab Series).
The 1980s saw his gradual drift to the field of criminal law on his appointment as the Special Prosecutor in Punjab, Delhi and Assam to prosecute ‘A’ grade terrorists. During this period, he prosecuted a host of sensational cases including cases of Operation Black Thunder, attempt on the life of Mr. JF Reberio, Talwara Bank Dacoity case etc. It was during his stint as a Prosecutor that he realized the importance of development of “Witness Protection Programme” in India. Many of his proposals in this regard were accepted but never implemented.
He was designated as a Senior Advocate in 1987. The same year, he accepted the controversial brief of Ms. Kiran Bedi and represented her before the Nanavati Commission. The advent of the decade of 1990s saw a shift in his regular professional visits to Delhi when he moved here permanently, on being appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India. He distinguishly served in this capacity from 1990-1996 and represented the Government before more than ten Constitution Benches including the one which upheld the Constitutional Validity of TADA. It was during this period that law on TADA & criminal conspiracy was laid down. As the Additional Solicitor General of India, he appeared in various sensational cases like the Bombay Bomb Blast, Calcutta Bomb Blast and various cases against JKLF, PWG etc. In Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case, he was closely associated as a lawyer for a special investigating team with Mr. Kartiken and represented SIT in the Supreme Court, High Courts and also before the Jain Commission.
Even after resigning as the Additional Solicitor General of India, he kept representing the Government and various security and police agencies in special engagements. He appeared as a Special Counsel for the State of Tamil Nadu in a murder case against the Shankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Math (2004) and also in Coimbatore Bomb Blast (2005). He has since then been representing a host of eminent individuals and organizations including corporates, before various Courts of Law in India and abroad.
He has made a successful endeavor of working towards public cause. His constant fight for the victims of Uphaar Tragedy since 1997, without accepting any remuneration is a remarkable example of this regard. Presently, he is also appearing before full Bench at Punjab and Haryana High Court, wherein an issue of importance of hair in Sikhism is pending adjudication.
