J. Sai Deepak

Deepak attended St. Anthony's High School, Hyderabad. He then completed his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from Anna University. He is a law graduate from IIT Kharagpur's Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law.[3]

Deepak has been a litigator in several notable cases in India. He is most famous for his representations in the case on the entry of women to Sabarimala Temple, where he argued, against it, that the Hindu deity Ayyappan follows naishtika brahmacharya ("lifelong celibacy").[4] He further argued that the deity is a living being and thus can avail the constitutional rights of religious liberty and freedom of religion enshrined in Articles 21 and 25 of the Constitution of India.[5]

Deepak represented the Travancore royal family for their right to manage the estate of Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvanathpuram.[6] The Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of the family.[7] He also was involved in the Basmati Geographical Indication dispute where he represented the Government of Madhya Pradesh.[8] Some sub judice cases Deepak is involved in are the public interest litigation (PIL) against the marital rape exception in the Indian Penal Code,[9] and the PIL seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriage.[10]

Deepak is the counsel for Anand Ranganathan in the contempt of court case pending against the former for criticizing Justice S. Muralidhar when the latter cancelled the arrest of Gautam Navlakha, who allegedly played a role in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence.[11] He is also the counsel for the royal family of Kashi in the case demanding a constitutional review of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.[12]

Deepak is a Hindu nationalist and decolonialist,[13][14][15] and a regular columnist in The Indian Express[16] and Firstpost.[17] He also writes two blogs, one named Yukti on constitutional theory and legal philosophy;[18] and one named The Demanding Mistress on civil, commercial and intellectual property law. An article in the latter blog was cited by the Madras High Court in its decision on the TVS Motor Company vs. Bajaj Auto Limited intellectual property dispute.[19]

J. Sai Deepak has been criticized for "cherry picking theories that suit his narrative" and "has failed to provide information with alternative theories already in existence".[20][21] He is considered to be a English-speaking Right Wing hindutva ideologue, believing the knowledge system of ancient Hindu civilization can be a template for modern India.[22][23]

He was criticized for his article in which he discusses limitations on Hindu majoritarian expression within the Indian Constitution. He emphasizes that Hindu majority authority is subject to judicial review and may be nullified if it conflicts with constitutional morality.[24]

• India That Is Bharat: Coloniality, Civilisation, Constitution. New Delhi: Bloomsbury. 2021. ISBN 9789354352492.[25]
• India, Bharat and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey of a Sandwiched Civilisation. New Delhi: Bloomsbury. 2022. ISBN 9789354353017.[26][27][28]