{{Short description|Indian lawyer (1949–2019)}} {{Orphan|date=July 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}

'''Amarendra Sharan''' (1949–2019) was Additional Solicitor General of India from 2004 to 2009 and a designated senior attorney at the Indian Supreme Court. He appeared in a number of prominent cases including coal allocation and 2G scam cases on behalf of the CBI, the Priyadarshini Mattoo case, and the re-investigation of Mahatma Gandhi's murder.<ref name=":0" />

== Early life and education ==

Amarendra Sharan was born in Patna, Bihar on 23 October 1949. His father was an income tax commissioner and his mother a housewife. He graduated from Patna Law College in 1975 and started his practice in Patna High Court.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Former Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan passes away |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-additional-solicitor-general-amarendra-sharan-passes-away/article29017119.ece |work=The Hindu |date=12 August 2019 |access-date=29 January 2021 |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203122438/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-additional-solicitor-general-amarendra-sharan-passes-away/article29017119.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Career ==

Sharan moved to Delhi to practice in the Supreme Court of India in 1981. He was designated a Senior Attorney by the Supreme Court of India in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed as a member of the Mashelkar Committee (named after its chairman, R.A. Mashelkar, former director-general of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), constituted to examine the problem of spurious/substandard drugs in the country.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Sachidanand |title=Spurious drugs: Tougher norms on the anvil |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Spurious-drugs-Tougher-norms-on-the-anvil/articleshow/37806904.cms |publisher=Times of India |date=18 Feb 2013 |access-date=29 January 2021 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303091332/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Spurious-drugs-Tougher-norms-on-the-anvil/articleshow/37806904.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> As Additional Solicitor General, he argued the Priyadarshini Mattoo case and defended reservation under the constitution.<ref>{{cite news|last=|first=|date=31 October 2006|title=Priyadarshini's killer deserves death|work=Time of India|publisher=|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Priyadarshinis-killer-deserves-death-HC/articleshow/243527.cms|access-date=}}</ref> In 2008, Sharan received an award for Outstanding Contribution for the Development of Scientific Jurisprudence on National Law Day.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Scroll Staff|title=Former Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan dies at 70|url=https://scroll.in/latest/933580/former-additional-solicitor-general-amarendra-sharan-dies-at-70|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204212847/https://scroll.in/latest/933580/former-additional-solicitor-general-amarendra-sharan-dies-at-70|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, he was appointed by the All India Football Federation to arbitrate a case between Bhaichung Bhutia and owner of Mohun Bagan owner, whereby he granted interim relief to Bhutia to play as a free agent.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Interim relief for Bhutia, can play for any club|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/2009/sep/26/interim-relief-for-bhutia-can-play-for-any-club-89726.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303091314/https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/2009/sep/26/interim-relief-for-bhutia-can-play-for-any-club-89726.html|archive-date=2021-03-03|access-date=|website=}}</ref>

In 2017, he was appointed amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the re-investigation of Mahatma Gandhi's murder, where he argued that there was no reason to re-investigate the case and the case was closed.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=SC appoints Amarendra Sharan as amicus curiae on plea seeking re-probe of Mahatma Gandhi murder|work=DNA India|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sc-appoints-amarendra-sharan-as-amicus-curiae-on-plea-seeking-re-probe-of-mahatma-gandhi-murder-2550902|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-date=2021-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204195451/https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sc-appoints-amarendra-sharan-as-amicus-curiae-on-plea-seeking-re-probe-of-mahatma-gandhi-murder-2550902}}</ref> He was also appointed amicus curiae in Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, where he advocated that Section 18 of the Act, which did not allow anticipatory bail, was unconstitutional.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=SC/ST act: Govt told apex court to keep anticipatory bail clause, says amicus curiae|work=Indian Express|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sc-st-act-govt-told-apex-court-to-keep-anticipatory-bail-clause-says-amicus-curiae-5122435/|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-date=2021-02-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205080537/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sc-st-act-govt-told-apex-court-to-keep-anticipatory-bail-clause-says-amicus-curiae-5122435/}}</ref>

In 2018 and 2019, Sharan argued several prominent cases including representing CBI in coal block allocation case, and the CBI v. CBI case.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=Coalgate: Ex-ASG Amarendra Sharan appointed as new CBI counsel|work=Hindustan Times|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/coalgate-ex-asg-amarendra-sharan-appointed-as-new-cbi-counsel/story-ua7CXkFbC8cMjSWNG6fVnO.html|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-date=2021-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204144431/https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/coalgate-ex-asg-amarendra-sharan-appointed-as-new-cbi-counsel/story-ua7CXkFbC8cMjSWNG6fVnO.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=CBI versus CBI: No arrest for Rakesh Asthana till Monday{{!}} 10 points|work=India Today|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/cbi-versus-cbi-no-arrest-for-rakesh-asthana-till-monday-10-points-1374034-2018-10-23|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-date=2021-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303091341/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/cbi-versus-cbi-no-arrest-for-rakesh-asthana-till-monday-10-points-1374034-2018-10-23}}</ref> He was appointed to the Medical Council of India, and successfully argued for instituting a common national entrance exam for all public medical colleges in India (NEET), and later argued for removing the upper age limit for NEET exams.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=One medical entrance test from this year supreme-court|work=DNA India|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-one-medical-entrance-test-from-this-year-supreme-court-1517027|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-date=2021-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204181058/https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-one-medical-entrance-test-from-this-year-supreme-court-1517027}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=SC allows candidates above 25 years to appear in NEET 2019 for under graduate courses|url=http://www.newsonair.nic.in/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=356042|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203234608/http://www.newsonair.nic.in/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=356042|archive-date=2021-02-03|access-date=|website=}}</ref>

== Politics == Sharan was a senior leader in the Nationalist Congress Party and served as its spokesperson.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=NCP not to raise foreign origin issue in LS elections|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/amp/ncp-not-to-raise-foreign-origin-issue-in-ls-elections/206484|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205175813/https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/amp/ncp-not-to-raise-foreign-origin-issue-in-ls-elections/206484|archive-date=2021-02-05|access-date=|website=}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharan, Amarendra}} Category:1949 births Category:2019 deaths Category:20th-century Indian lawyers Category:21st-century Indian lawyers Category:2G spectrum case Category:Additional solicitors general of India Category:Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi Category:Central Bureau of Investigation Category:Council of Scientific and Industrial Research people Category:Drug policy of India Category:Indian Senior Counsel Category:Indian government officials Category:Medical Council of India Category:Nationalist Congress Party politicians from Bihar Category:Patna University alumni Category:People from Patna Category:Reservation in India Category:Supreme Court of India