Criminal lawyer Zain Haider on justice, advocacy, and representing the marginalised

Zain Haider, a Supreme Court advocate, has built his practice around criminal, service, commercial, and environmental matters of national importance. A graduate of Aligarh Muslim University, Haider worked as a Law Researcher to Senior High Court Judges before starting independent practice, gaining insight into judicial decision-making and courtcraft.

Haider's work spans cases on minimum wages for prisoners, legal guarantees for farmers' minimum support price, maternity benefits, the right to education, and high-profile matters including the Pegasus case. Coming from a small town in Uttar Pradesh and witnessing disparities in access to justice for marginalised communities shaped his commitment to represent underrepresented sections of society. He was recently empanelled as Counsel for the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee.