The people behind the practice

Dr. Nasim Akhtar

Director & Head of Public Relations

Dr. Nasim Akhtar heads public relations and administration at Akhtars Legalitarian. A professor of English literature, he spent more than twenty years teaching in the Middle East, and that long exposure to the region's cultures, institutions and legal systems is what gives the firm its footing with international clients.

Much of the firm's work with embassies, institutional clients and cross-border private clients comes through relationships he has built and maintained over decades. He sets the direction for the firm's growth and keeps the practice focused on the kind of matters where careful counsel matters more than volume.

Advocate Khalid Akhtar

Senior Associate - Partner

Advocate Khalid Akhtar has practiced for over 11 years before the Supreme Court of India, the Delhi and Bombay High Courts, and various tribunals including the NCLT. His practice spans criminal defence and bail, constitutional and writ matters, PMLA/ED and Prevention of Corruption Act cases, arbitration and insolvency proceedings, medical negligence, and Muslim personal law.

He is presently handling the defence in the Air India in-flight urination case (Shankar Mishra), and has secured bail for high-profile clients including Shahrukh Pathan (2020 Delhi riots case) and actor Ajaz Khan. His UAPA practice includes securing relief for accused persons in SIMI-related prosecutions. He also represented a party in a closely watched international parental child custody matter before the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court involving a foreign national.

He was the main counsel on record in Anubhav Sharma & Ors. v. Union of India (2017), a batch of NEET postgraduate medical admission matters before the Supreme Court involving Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, and the State of Uttar Pradesh, where he briefed Senior Advocate Rupinder Singh Suri and Senior Advocate Subramonium Prasad (now a Judge of the Delhi High Court).

On the corporate and regulatory side, he has advised in PMLA/ED proceedings and appeared in an NCLT matter involving a power sector dispute with the Adani Group. Earlier in his career, he was part of the legal teams assisting senior counsel in the 2G spectrum case, the Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case, and the Arunachal Pradesh political crisis matter before the Supreme Court — three of the most significant constitutional and criminal matters in recent Indian legal history.

He serves as legal advisor to several organisations, including Muslim Mirror and the All India Minority Doctors Association, and advises a client base spanning multiple countries.

He is known for direct, hands-on engagement with every client and for clear, realistic guidance from the first consultation onward.

Maaz Akhtar

Head of Commercial Litigation - Partner

Maaz Akhtar heads commercial litigation at the firm. He holds a master's degree in international law and has handled national and international civil disputes covering international trade, contract conflicts, tort and accident claims, and principal-agent disputes.

His practice sits at the point where Indian law meets foreign jurisdictions, and he is regularly instructed on matters that involve parties, contracts or assets in more than one country. Alongside his commercial work he takes on pro bono matters, including divorce, theft and other matters for people who cannot otherwise afford representation.

Sana Anwar

Research Head - Litigation

Sana Anwar heads legal research for the litigation practice. Having qualified the mains stage of both the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Judicial Services examinations, she brings a working understanding of how courts read statutes and precedent.

She sets the research strategy on each matter, leads a team of researchers, and works closely with the firm's counsel on statutes, regulations and judgments so that arguments are grounded in authority before they reach the courtroom. She also attends conferences and seminars to keep the firm's research current.

Advocate Abdullah Akhtar

Advocate | Criminal Litigation, Corporate & Startup Advisory, and Cross-Border Disputes

Advocate Abdullah Akhtar is a New Delhi-based lawyer at Akhtars Legalitarian, with experience spanning criminal litigation, corporate and commercial advisory, startup and investment structuring, and cross-border dispute resolution. His practice combines litigation strategy with commercially focused legal solutions, enabling him to advise clients on complex disputes, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and strategic transactions.

His criminal litigation practice includes bail and anticipatory bail, quashing of FIRs, and proceedings involving special statutes, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as well as matters involving the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and National Investigation Agency (NIA).

In the corporate and transactional domain, he advises startups, technology enterprises, and businesses on fundraising, investment documentation, shareholder and co-founder arrangements, convertible instruments, ESOPs, equity structuring, corporate governance, and commercial contracts. His work includes analysing complex investment structures, identifying regulatory and tax risks, and drafting and negotiating agreements to protect clients’ commercial interests. He has also advised a deep-tech drone/UAV enterprise on investment structuring, vendor and supplier arrangements, strategic partnerships, government-related collaborations, and cross-border manufacturing arrangements.

His broader practice encompasses international trade disputes, customs matters, intellectual property disputes, contractual claims, employment-related litigation, and commercial recovery proceedings. He has worked on cross-border matters involving international businesses and diplomatic missions, including trade-fraud disputes connected with African jurisdictions, and has advised on matters involving international child abduction and the protection of contractual and commercial rights.

Advocate Akhtar has contributed to significant criminal and constitutional litigation, including the drafting of a bail application in Haneef Shaikh v. Special Cell (State of Delhi), in which bail was granted by the Delhi High Court. He has also undertaken pro bono representation and legal-aid work, reflecting his commitment to access to justice and professional responsibility.

At Akhtars Legalitarian, he brings together legal research, strategic drafting, commercial understanding, and dispute management to deliver practical, well-structured, and client-focused legal solutions across litigation and advisory mandates.

Mohammad Akhtar

Research Associate

Mohammad Akhtar is a research associate at the firm. He supports senior counsel on client counselling, case management and the preparation of drafts and briefs, and attends court proceedings regularly to build his understanding of court craft.

He also assists with the firm's client relations, and is developing his practice across the firm's litigation and advisory work.