K Parasaran is a veteran lawyer and Senior Advocate practising in the Supreme Court of India. With a career spanning over six decades, he is a most sought-after name, especially in matters where questions of faith are involved. In fact, he is referred to as the “Pitamah of the Indian Bar for his contribution to law without compromising his dharma.”

Mr Parasaran began his legal practice before the Supreme Court in 1958. He was the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu during President's Rule in 1976. He has held the offices of Solicitor General of India and Attorney General of India between 1983 and 1989. Former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee had appointed him as a member of the Drafting and Editorial Committee tasked with reviewing the working of the Constitution. In 2014, he defended the National Judicial Appointments’ Commission as a member of the Rajya Sabha. He is known for his contribution in landmark cases, including the Ayodhya and Sabarimala case. His leading arguments on behalf of “Ramlalla Virajman” in the Ayodhya case have put the spotlight on his legal acumen, and erudition in law and the Hindu shastras and puranas. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre has appointed him to lead the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to oversee the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Mr Parasaran was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2003 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2011. In June 2012, he received a Presidential nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, for a period of six years. He was presented the “Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award” by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on October 16, 2019. Even while pursuing law, he was awarded the Shri Justice C.V. Kumaraswami Sastri Sanskrit Medal and Justice Shri V. Bhashyam Iyengar Gold Medal in Hindu Law. During the Bar Council examination, he received the Justice Shri K.S. Krishnaswamy Iyengar Medal.

A book titled, “Law and Dharma: A tribute to the Pitamaha of the Indian Bar” was authored by three students of Sastra University and released in honour of Mr Parasaran in 2016.