Advocate Khalid Akhtar
Senior Associate - Partner, Akhtars Legalitarian
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.
Courts and tribunals
- Supreme Court of India
- Delhi High Court
- Bombay High Court
- National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)
Practice areas
- Criminal DefenceED/PMLA, CBI and NIA (UAPA) matters, white-collar offences, bail and anticipatory bail, quashing of FIRs, trials and appeals under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and special statutes.
- Constitutional Law & Writ PetitionsWrit petitions, public law challenges and fundamental rights matters before the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court.
- Supreme Court & High Court LitigationSpecial leave petitions, writs, appeals and transfer petitions before the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court.
- Commercial Litigation & ArbitrationContract disputes, commercial suits, domestic and international arbitration, and enforcement of awards.
- Insolvency & BankruptcyCorporate insolvency, liquidation, homebuyer claims and personal guarantor matters under the IBC before the NCLT and NCLAT.
Articles
- Habeas Corpus: The Remedy against Illegal Detention in IndiaHabeas corpus is the oldest and fastest constitutional remedy: an order that the person holding someone in custody produce them before the court and justify the detention.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Criminal Appeals in the Delhi High Court: Procedure, Limitation and Suspension of SentenceA conviction by a Sessions Court is appealable to the High Court as of right.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Received a Police Notice under Section 35 BNSS (formerly 41A CrPC)? Here Is What It MeansA notice of appearance from the police is not an arrest, but how you respond to it shapes the rest of the case.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Defending a Cheque Bounce Case: Grounds Available to the AccusedA complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act carries a statutory presumption against the drawer, but it is a rebuttable one.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Special Leave Petitions: How a Case Reaches the Supreme Court of IndiaMost cases reach the Supreme Court through a special leave petition under Article 136 of the Constitution.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Filing a Writ Petition in the Delhi High Court under Article 226A writ petition is the main remedy against unlawful action by the government or a public authority.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Regular Bail, Anticipatory Bail and Default Bail: What Each One MeansBail comes in three forms under Indian law, each available at a different stage and on different conditions.Courts & Criminal Defence
- Quashing an FIR in the Delhi High Court: Grounds, Process and ChancesThe Delhi High Court can quash an FIR or criminal proceedings where continuing them would be an abuse of the process of court.Courts & Criminal Defence
