Noted senior advocate and human rights activist Girish Patel, who is known as the champion of public interest litigations—the ones which revolutionised the lives of thousands of people, mostly from the oppressed sections of the society, breathed his last on Saturday at around 4 am. He was suffering from multiple organ failures and age-related ailments and was at his residence at the time of death. He is survived by his wife and two-daughters.

Patel, a Harvard Law School alumnus, had done his bachelors and masters in Law from Sir LA Shah Law College in Ahmedabad. Although he lost his vision in one-eye at the age of 13 years, Patel remained a brilliant student, academician, and practitioner of law throughout his life. After completing his studies at Harvard, he went to Hague in Netherlands to practice at the International Court of Justice and returned to India after two years in the 1950's. After his return, he taught at the Nanavati Law College and went on to become its principal.

According to advocate Anand Yagnik, he was dismissed from the college on a flimsy reason for buying two books on jurisprudence, but the dismissal had to be withdrawn after several high court judges intervened. After leaving academics, he was appointed as a member of the Gujarat Law Commission where he worked for two years. Interestingly, Patel had started his journey as a practicing lawyer in 1972-73 at the age of 42 from Ahmedabad City Civil Court and then at Gujarat HC. In 1974, he steered the Navnirman Andolan, a socio-political movement in Gujarat by students and middle-class against crisis and corruption in public life, resulting in the death of 110 youngsters.

During Emergency, he for-med the Lok Adhikar Sangh which worked for rights of the poor and downtrodden who cannot afford the cost of availing justice. Notably, the organisation fought over 100 PILs in Gujarat High Court, resulting in judgments which benefited thousands.

A MAN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE