Senior advocate Samaraditya Pal passed awayat his New Alipore home in southwest Kolkata onThursday morning. He was 84.
Pal, an expert in constitutional law, was suffering from age-related ailments, according to his family.
A barrister from Inner Temple, London, he was better known as Bachhu Pal in legal circles. He leaves behind his wife, Justice Ruma Pal, a former judge of the Supreme Court. Pal fought many landmark cases. He appeared for Tata Motors in the Singur land acquisition case.
In 2013, he represented the state election commission, then headed by Mira Pande, in Calcutta High Court, seek-ing central forces for the panchayat elections against the wishes of the state government. Central forces were eventually deployed for the rural polls. Pal also authored multiple books on constitutional law.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences on Pal’s death.
“His demise is an irreparable loss for the legal world. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Justice Ruma Pal, his relatives, friends and admirers,” the chief minister said in a message.