Rohinton Fali Nariman
A jurist with a philosopher's mind, he shaped Indian law with landmark rulings on privacy, rights, and religious freedom.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Indian judge·Birthday: August 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Rohinton Fali Nariman authored the 2017 Supreme Court judgment that declared privacy a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution. Born in 1956, he was the son of eminent jurist Fali Nariman and studied law at Harvard Law School. Before his elevation to the bench, he built a reputation as a senior advocate known for precise arguments and command of case law. He served as Solicitor General of India from 2011 to 2013. Appointed a Supreme Court judge in 2014, he wrote the unanimous opinion in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, which reshaped digital rights and data protection law. He also sat on the five-judge bench that decriminalized homosexuality in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018), striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. His judgments frequently cited comparative constitutional law, historical texts, and philosophical arguments. He retired in 2021 after a seven-year tenure, leaving a body of opinions that courts continue to cite on liberty, equality, and secularism.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Rohinton was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rohinton Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Rohinton's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored the landmark 2017 Supreme Court judgment establishing the fundamental right to privacy in India.
- Was part of the constitutional bench that decriminalized homosexuality by striking down Section 377 of the IPC in 2018.
- Served as the Solicitor General of India from 2011 to 2013 before his elevation to the Supreme Court.
- Was designated a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court at the notably young age of 37.
Did You Know?
He is a noted scholar of Zoroastrianism and has published a translation of the Zoroastrian devotional text, the 'Jamaspi'.
His grandfather, R. F. Nariman, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Chennai.
He resigned from his position as Solicitor General in 2013, citing personal reasons.
He is known to be an avid collector of rare books and manuscripts.
“The Constitution is not a document of convenience; it is a document of principle.”
