Introduction

Sonam plays an important role in leading the Governance, Ethics, and Anti-Corruption Practice at the Firm and is also engaged with its Impact Policy Group.

She has played a key role in significant white-collar cases in the country, including: (i) successfully defending Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Private Limited (Uninor) in the 2G matter before the CBI Special Court; (ii) representing high net worth individuals (HNIs) and corporates in the highly publicised prosecution initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with respect to coal block allocations; and (iii) advising and representing various corporates, promoters, directors, and other Key Managerial Persons (KMPs) in investigations and prosecutions initiated by investigating agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Directorate General of GST Intelligence, etc. Besides, she has also represented and advised various high-ranking public officials.

Sonam also has considerable experience in real estate aggregation and development and is building and structuring the Firm’s Real Estate Practice. She also regularly represents and advises clients on insolvency and bankruptcy law, employment law, and arbitrations.

Her practice is multi-faceted and Sonam acts in both commercial and criminal litigation before the Supreme Court of India and High Courts across the country.

Indicative Experience

• Representing Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Private Limited (Uninor) before Delhi High Court and CBI Special Court in the 2G spectrum case.
• Representing a high net-worth individual and Jaypee Group in the proceedings initiated by Central Bureau of Investigation and Directorate of Enforcement in coal block allocations scam estimated to have caused a wrongful loss of USD 26 billion to the government.
• Representing and advising two private equity funds before various fora, including, Supreme Court, in investigations under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in alleged siphoning-off of homebuyers’ money by Amrapali Group.
• Advising and representing Wadhawan Group and its promoters in ongoing investigations by different agencies under different statutes including Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, Companies Act, 2013, and Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Representing Vivek Doval in a criminal defamation complaint against Caravan magazine and a sitting Member of Parliament.
• Representing Shivinder Mohan Singh in cases filed by Religare Finvest Limited for alleged misappropriation of funds amounting to approximately INR 24 billion before Economic Offences Wing, Delhi under Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Representing Kotak Mahindra Bank in an appeal under Insolvency and Bankruptcy, 2016 before Supreme Court of India regarding its claims under corporate guarantees.
• Advising and representing private equity funds before National Company Law Tribunal, Delhi in proceedings under Insolvency and Bankruptcy, 2016 and in petitions of oppression and mismanagement under the Companies Act, 2013.
• Representing a high net worth individual in a prosecution initiated by Department of Revenue Intelligence for exports in violation of Special Chemicals, Organism, Materials, Equipment and Technologies regulations purporting to have facilitated the weapon of mass destruction program of Iraq.
• Advising and representing Adani Group in coal trading, mining, and bunkering disputes before arbitral tribunals and various other fora against multiple parties, including Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company, Haryana Power Generation Company Limited, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, and Ind-Barath Power Gencom Limited and Ind-Barath Thermal Power Limited.
• Advising several high net-worth individuals who are key accused in high-profile prosecutions under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 regarding allegations including murder, offences against property, and related matters before trial and appeal courts.