Sidharth Luthra, Lawyer

Though he is famous as a criminal lawyer, he shot into the limelight in 2002 when he represented Tehelka in the Operation Westend case and questioned then Defence Minister George Fernandes. This former additional solicitor general is an alumnus of Cambridge University and handles high-profile cases, many of them related to cyber crime, making him one of the most sought-after in the field. Though he has a lineage to boast of—his father KK Luthra was an eminent lawyer—he came into his own through perseverance and dedication after his father passed away in 1997. Luthra, who did his schooling at Delhi Public School, RK Puram, before he joined Hindu College and then studied law at University of Delhi, has also represented the Union Government in a few tough cases. A mathematics buff in school, he wanted to be an architect, but as luck would have it, he ended up following in the footsteps of his father. His colleagues vouch for Luthra being one of the most hard-working lawyers of his generation. He says it is his education in mathematics that helps him connect the dots in the cases he handles.

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Public Square

Salman Rushdie, Author | Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Political scientist | Nandan Nilekani, Infosys Chairman | Srinath Raghavan, Historian | Ram Madhav, BJP Leader | Swapan Dasgupta, Political commentator and MP | Shashi Tharoor, Scholar Politician | TCA Raghavan, Historian | Ramachandra Guha, Historian | Brahma Chellaney, Strategic thinker | Uday Shankar, President, 21st Century Fox, Asia | Anantha Chandrakasan, Technologist | Gita Gopinath, Economist | Soumya Swaminathan, Paediatrician and clinical scientist | Prasoon Joshi, Poet and Censor Board chairman | Madhav Khosla, Scholar | Sidharth Luthra, Lawyer | Shayara Bano, Triple Talaq Petitioner | Reuben Abraham, Economic Analyst | Pratima Joshi, Architect | Reetika Khera, Economist | Shamika Ravi, Economist | Sharmila Bhattacharya, Scientist | Vijay Prasad, Historian | Nayanjot Lahiri, Historian | Avani Chaturvedi, Fighter Pilot, IAF | Pranshu and Nishant Patni, Entrepreneurs

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Soft Power

Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team | Priyanka Chopra, Actor | Jeet Thayil, Author | Anju Dodiya, Artist | Alia Bhatt, Actor | Rajkummar Rao, Actor | Chetan Bhagat, Author | Jahnvi Dameron Nandan, Perfumer | Rupi Kaur, Poet | Parvathy Thiruvothu, Actor | Sujatha Gidla, Author | Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, Architect | Prayaag Akbar, Author | Ruchika Sachdeva, Fashion Designer | Palghat R Ramprasad, Carnatic musician | Unni R, Author | Kunal Kamra, Comedian | Vikas Khanna, Chef and Television Personality | Shoojit Sircar, Filmmaker | Srikanth Kidambi, Badminton Player | CS Santosh, Off-Road Biking Champion | Mayank Austen Soofi, Author and Blogger | Ratish Nanda, Conservation Architect

courtDelhiGeorge Fernandeslawyerlegal action