Abhishek Manu Singhvi (born 24 February 1959) is an Indian lawyer and politician. As politician, he is a member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

(INC) and a current Member of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...

representing

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

in the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. He is also a spokesperson for the INC. He is one of the senior advocates of the Supreme Court of India.

Early life

Singhvi was born in a Marwari family. His father

Laxmi Mall Singhvi Laxmi Mall Singhvi (9 November 1931 – 6 October 2007) was an Indian jurist, parliamentarian, scholar, writer and diplomat. He was, after V. K. Krishna Menon, the second-longest-serving High Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom (1991� ...

was a scholar in

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

history and culture. He was a renowned lawyer and India's former High Commissioner to the UK. He was elected to Rajya Sabha (1998–2004). His mother's name is Kamla Singhvi. He completed his school from St. Columba's School. He obtained B.A.(Hons.), M.A., PhD, PIL educated at St. Stephen's College,

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Singhvi completed his PhD under constitutional lawyer Sir William Wade of Cambridge University. The topic of his doctoral dissertation at Cambridge University was on Emergency Powers.

Personal life

Singhvi is married to ghazal and Sufi singer Anita Singhvi. They have two sons.

Positions held

Singhvi, at 37, became the youngest Additional Solicitor General of India, in 1997. He held the position for a year, until 1998. 2001 onwards National Spokesperson, Indian National Congress April 2006 Elected to Rajya Sabha Aug. 2006 – May 2009 and Aug. 2009 – July 2011 Member, Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice Aug. 2006 – Aug. 2007 Member, Joint Committee on Offices of Profit Member, Joint Committee to examine the Constitutional and Legal position relating to Office of Profit Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Urban Development Sept. 2006 – Sept. 2010 Member, Committee of Privileges July 2010 onwards Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of External Affairs July 2011 onwards chairman, Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice Member, General Purposes Committee. July 2012 onwards Spokesman Congress Party.

Controversies

Sex Tape

A tape featuring Singhvi, a married man, having sex with a lawyer in his office was circulated wherein he allegedly promised to get her appointed as a judge. He categorically denied any "wrongdoing" while temporarily quitting party posts. Singhvi later settled a deal out of court with his driver who allegedly admitted to recording and circulating the video.

Income Tax Fine

In 2014, he was fined 57 crore by the Income Tax Settlement Commission for failing to furnish documents supporting his claims of expenditure for running his office.

References

External links

Abhishek Singhvi - Profile

Profile on India.gov.inProfile on Rajya Sabha website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singhvi, Abhishek 1959 births Marwari people St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Living people Harvard University alumni Indian National Congress politicians Rajasthani politicians People from Jodhpur St. Columba's School, Delhi alumni Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan Singhvi family Supreme Court of India lawyers