Professional Profile
Abhinav Hansaraman
Advocate practicing primarily before the Supreme Court of India, based in New Delhi. My work spans commercial arbitration and service law matters, with a particular interest in the development of institutional arbitration in India. I also contribute regularly to legal scholarship through case law analysis and academic writing.
Practice Areas
Arbitration
Advising and representing parties in domestic commercial arbitrations. Particular focus on institutional vs. ad-hoc arbitration dynamics, arbitrator appointments, emergency relief, and enforcement of awards before Indian courts.
Service Law
Representing government employees, pensioners, and public sector workers in matters relating to service conditions, disciplinary proceedings, promotions, termination, and pension disputes before courts and tribunals.
Supreme Court Practice
Appearing and assisting in matters before the Supreme Court of India, including special leave petitions, writ petitions, and civil appeals spanning a broad range of subject-matter areas.
Legal Research & Writing
Regular contributor to Bar & Bench’s The Lawyer’s Digest — a monthly analysis of Supreme Court judgments — and author of academic pieces on arbitration law and policy.
Representative Matters
Commercial Dispute — Institutional Arbitration Advisory
Advised a client on the comparative advantages of institutional arbitration versus ad-hoc proceedings in a high-value commercial dispute, including analysis of arbitrator appointment mechanisms, fee structures, and interim relief options under leading institutional rules.
Role: Advisory counsel
Enforcement of Arbitral Award — Supreme Court of India
Assisting in proceedings before the Supreme Court concerning the enforceability of a domestic arbitral award, with issues arising around the scope of judicial intervention under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
Role: Assisting counsel
Disciplinary Proceedings — Government Employee
Represented a government employee challenging disciplinary proceedings initiated by their department, raising questions of procedural fairness, natural justice, and proportionality of penalty before the relevant tribunal.
Role: Counsel for petitioner
Pension & Retiral Benefits Dispute
Assisted in a matter involving denial of pension and retiral benefits to a retired public sector employee, with arguments centred on entitlement, statutory computation, and arrears recovery before the High Court.
Role: Assisting counsel
Wrongful Termination — Public Sector Undertaking
Represented an employee of a public sector undertaking whose services were terminated without following due procedure, securing interim relief and challenging the termination order on grounds of procedural impropriety.
Role: Counsel for petitioner
* Matters are described in general terms to preserve client confidentiality.
Writing & Publications
Institutional arbitration: The right choice for arbitration users in India
Bar & Bench — Co-authored with Ashutosh Kumar. Examines the case for institutional over ad-hoc arbitration, addressing cost perceptions, procedural clarity, and the role of emerging arbitral institutions in India.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — December 2023
Bar & Bench — Co-authored with Subhro Prokas Mukherjee, Sahil Tagotra & Venkata Supreeth K.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — November 2023
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — October 2023
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — September 2023
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — August 2023
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — July 2021
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — April 2021
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
The Lawyer’s Digest: Supreme Court Judgments — May 2020
Bar & Bench — Co-authored monthly Supreme Court judgment digest.
Get in Touch
Abhinav's Blog 