Former Member of Parliament, Abhaybhai Bharadwaj

MP (Rajya Sabha)

Abhay Bharadwaj was a leading criminal lawyer and BJP Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat who passed away due to complications of Covid-19 infection at a hospital in Chennai on Tuesday, December 1st, 2020. Abhay Bharadwaj was born on 2 April 1954 in Uganda, later shifted to India in Gujarat.

Abhay Bharadwaj was a prominent criminal lawyer who defended the accused in the Gulberg Society case, which took place during the 2002 Gujarat riots and culminated in the killing of nearly 70 residents of the neighborhood. He was also a member of the 21st Law Commission of India and contributed towards legislation like Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 and Uniform civil code. 

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from July 22nd, 2020 until his death. He was closely affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad since his college days.