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{{Short description|Former Attorney General for India}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| caption =
| name = Goolamhussein E. Vahanvati
| office = [[Attorneys General for India|13th]] [[Attorney General for India]]
| term_start = 8 June 2009
| term_end = 28 May 2014
| appointer = [[Pratibha Patil]]<br>([[President of India]])
| predecessor = [[Milon K. Banerjee]]
| successor = [[Mukul Rohatgi]]
| office2 = [[Solicitor General of India]]
| term_start2 = 20 June 2004
| term_end2 = 7 June 2009
| predecessor2 = Kirit N. Raval
| successor2 = [[Gopal Subramaniam]]
| office3 = [[Advocate General]] of [[Maharashtra]]
| term_start3 = December 1999
| term_end3 = 19 June 2004
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1949|05|07}}
| birth_place = [[Mumbai]], Maharashtra
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2014|09|02|1949|05|07}}
| death_place = [[Mumbai]], Maharashtra
| spouse = Jumana Vahanvaty (first wife, divorced); Nafisa Vahanvati
| children = Essaji Vahanvati (son by first wife), Sholeen
Carrimjee (daughter by first wife)
| father = Essabhoy Gulamhusein Vahanvati
|mother = Tara Essaji Vahanvati
| alma_mater = [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]]<br>[[Government Law College, Mumbai]]
| profession = Lawyer
| signature =
}}

'''Goolamhussein Essaji Vahanvati''' was an Indian [[senior counsel]] who served as the 13th [[Attorney General for India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/inside-man|title=The convenient opinions of Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati|last=Kaushik|first=Krishn|date=May 2013|website=[[The Caravan]]|language=en|access-date=2019-12-30}}</ref> His first term in office began in June 2009 and was for three years.<ref name=BnB>{{cite web|last1=Karanjawala |first1=Raian |title=Goolam Vahanvati – "A nonesuch" |work=Bar & Bench |url=http://barandbench.com/content/212/goolam-vahanvati-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%9C-nonesuch%E2%80%9D |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140911162312/http://barandbench.com/content/212/goolam-vahanvati-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%9C-nonesuch%E2%80%9D |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 September 2014 |publisher=Bar and Bench |accessdate=3 October 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name=IE-profile>{{cite news|author1=Sarin, Ritu|author2=Chhibber, Maneesh|title=His new brief|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/his-new-brief/476067/0|accessdate=11 September 2014|work=[[Indian Express]]|date=14 June 2009}}</ref>

==Early life==
Goolam was born to Essaji Vahanvati,a lawyer, <ref name=IE-profile />

==Career==
He started his practice at [[Bombay High Court]] and was a junior to [[Fali S Nariman]] and later under [[Soli Sorabjee]], Ashok Desai and Ashok Sen.<ref name=IE-profile /> In March 1990, he was designated as a senior advocate. In December 1999, he was appointed as the Advocate General of [[Maharashtra]] which he served till June 2004 till he was elevated as the Solicitor General of India,<ref name=IE-profile /> where he handled various important cases, including the Enron cases and the stock market scam.

He appeared in the nine-judge bench hearing on the Ninth Schedule of the [[Constitution of India]], [[Kuldip Nayar]]'s challenge to the amendment to the Representation of the People's Act with regard to the [[Rajya Sabha]], the tainted Ministers case, in all matters pertaining to the sealing and the challenge to the Delhi Laws Special Provisions Act, 2007 and challenges to the Master Plan 2021.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/09/stories/2009060956061100.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610185835/http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/09/stories/2009060956061100.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=10 June 2009 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Vahanvati appointed Attorney-General | date=9 June 2009}}</ref> He represented Maharashtra state in the public interest litigation petition filed in the fake stamp paper scam.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/06/20/stories/2004062003210800.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040820091727/http://www.hindu.com/2004/06/20/stories/2004062003210800.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=20 August 2004 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Solicitor General appointed | date=20 June 2004}}</ref> He successfully defended the challenge to the reservation for OBCs in higher education. He appeared as ''[[amicus curiae]]'' in the MP Local Area Development Scheme and for Union of India/CBI in the matter relating to power of court to ''suo motu'' transfer investigation to the CBI without prior consent of the State government concerned. The [[International Cricket Council]] appointed him to hold an inquiry into the allegations of racism in Zimbabwe along with High Court Judge [[Steven Majied]] in September 2004. He was appointed Single Member Commission to inquire into allegations of racial abuse on South African cricketers during the South African tour of Australia in December 2005.<ref name=IE-profile />

In 2012 his term as Attorney General of India was extended by two years.<ref>{{cite news|title=G E Vahanvati appointed Attorney General|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-06-09/india/28198126_1_solicitor-general-upa-government-important-law-officer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024074943/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-06-09/india/28198126_1_solicitor-general-upa-government-important-law-officer|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2012|date=9 June 2009|first1=Dhananjay|work=[[The Times of India]]|last1=Mahapatra}}</ref>

In April 2013, Vahanvati's role in government came under scrutiny after allegations of impropriety and coercion emerged from his junior law officer, Harin P. Raval, who resigned from the post of Additional Solicitor General as a result.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bhatt|first=Abhinav|title=Harin Raval resigns as Additional Solicitor General after Coal-Gate letter bomb|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/harin-raval-resigns-as-additional-solicitor-general-after-coal-gate-letter-bomb-360860|accessdate=14 May 2013|newspaper=NDTV|date=30 April 2013}}</ref>

In January 2014, [[Government of India]], along with others, his name was forwarded in the category of "eminent jurist" to the [[Lokpal]] selection panel.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Anand|first1=Utkarsh|title=Meet on Feb 3 to decide 'eminent jurist' on Lokpal selection panel, Vahanvati in shortlist|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/meet-on-feb-3-to-decide-eminent-jurist-on-lokpal-selection-panel-vahanvati-in-shortlist/|accessdate=11 September 2014|work=Indian Express|date=29 January 2014}}</ref>

==Death==
He died on 2 September 2014 in Mumbai due to cardiac arrest.<ref name=Death>{{cite news|title=GE Vahanvati, former attorney general, dies aged 65 of a heart attack |url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/PGwYflZOKdPBaPWrjEIMtM/GE-Vahanvati-former-attorney-general-dies-aged-65.html|accessdate=11 September 2014|work=Live Mint|agency=PTI|date=2 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://netindian.in/news/2014/09/02/00030343/former-attorney-general-goolam-vahanvati-passes-away-mumbai | publisher=NetIndian | date= 2 September 2014 | title=Former Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati passes away in Mumbai}}</ref> On 11 September 2014, a full court reference, a commemorative event involving all judges of the court and lawyers, including the senior officer of the bar was held in the [[Chief Justice of India]]'s court.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sen|first1=Shreeja|title=Supreme Court remembers former attorney general GE Vahanvati|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/1DxOH9YGuB2StoUbWXryRI/Supreme-Court-remembers-former-attorney-general-GE-Vahanvati.html|accessdate=11 September 2014|work=Live Mint|date=11 September 2014}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Attorney-General for India}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vahanvati, Goolamhussein Essaji}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Attorneys General of India]]
[[Category:Advocates General for Indian states]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]

Goolam Essaji Vahanvati - Revision history

UpdateBot at 15:03, 4 February 2022