Maharashtra Advocate General Dr. Birendra Saraf has submitted his resignation citing personal reasons and a wish to return to private practice.
Appointed in August 2022, Dr. Saraf will demit office at the end of September after a little over three years in the role.
According to sources, Dr. Saraf, in his resignation letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, informed that he would be stepping down with effect from September 30.
He indicated that this date would give the State government adequate time to identify his successor and ensure a smooth transition.
The State government is expected to begin the process of appointing his successor shortly. However, according to sources, the government may insist Saraf to continue till January next year.
Sources added that Dr. Saraf also conveyed his appreciation to the Chief Minister and the State government for the trust placed in him. He described his tenure as Advocate General as both an honour and a privilege in his professional life.
Speaking to Bar & Bench, Dr. Saraf reflected on his tenure.
“It was a satisfying three years and I wanted to get back to my private life,” he said.
Saraf has been practicing before the Bombay High Court for over 25 years. He graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai, and was a topper at Mumbai University in all three years of his graduation.
He began his career in the chambers of the former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. After Justice Chandrachud was elevated as a judge of the Bombay High Court in 2000, Saraf joined the chambers of former Advocate General Ravi Kadam.
In 2020, Saraf was designated as a Senior Advocate.
He has also served as Secretary of the Bombay Bar Association for six years.
Through the course of his career, he has appeared in several high-profile and controversial cases.
He successfully argued for Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut in her plea challenging demolition activity by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on her property in Bandra in September 2020.
The High Court quashed the demolition notice and permitted Ranaut to take steps to make her property habitable.
Saraf also appeared in the proceedings pertaining to the heavily contentious dispute going on between Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and its largest shareholder, Invesco Developing Markets Fund.