A Tribute to Late Mr. D. M. Harish

Late Mr. D. M. Harish was a distinguished Advocate and a renowned authority on Income Tax Law. Mr. D. M. Harish had an outstanding academic career. He completed his early education from D. J. Sindh College, Karachi, from where he obtained a first rank in his Matriculation Examination in the Sindh Province. He was later appointed as fellow of the college in recognition of his exceptional academic career.

After the partition of India, he came to Mumbai and joined the Government Law College.  Here he began to strike new roots as a professional in the field of law after securing a First Class in his L.L.B. Examination. The Government Law College then became the Alma Mater of his entire family including his wife, Mrs. Ratna Harish, his son, Mr. Anil Harish, his daughter, Mrs. Shobha Jagtiani, his son-in-law Mr. Haresh Jagtiani and his grandson, Mr. Sharan Jagtiani.

Mr. D. M. Harish founded the well known firm “D. M. Harish & Co” The firm specializes in taxation, property law and corporate law. Mr. Harish built a large clientele and tremendous goodwill amongst industrialists and professionals alike. He was the director of several public and private limited companies and a trustee of many philanthropic organizations. He was also a member of the Regional Direct Taxes Advisory Committee and the President of the Chamber of Income Tax Consultants. He was invited to speak at numerous seminars and conferences conducted by various organizations and wrote innumerable articles on legal subjects.

Mr. D. M. Harish is best known for the many battles he fought on behalf of the taxpayers. He has made an immeasurable contribution to the law through the publication of his magnum opus, an eight volume Treatise on Income Tax Law which contains about 30,000 pages of research material connected with tax laws. All this is now available on the website, www.lexsite.com, and  is continuously being updated by his successors at D. M. Harish & Co. Mr. D. M. Harish worked on this project for three years and completed it in 1997 at the age of 76.

The cause of education was always very dear to him and he was conscious of the fact that his personal success could be directly attributed to his education and hard work. In his lifetime, he instituted a fund for educational grants for the needy and deserving. He also instituted the Annual Awards for Best Professors at the Government Law College, Mumbai.

As a tribute to his memory, the D. M. Harish Foundation sponsors the D. M. Harish Memorial Government Law College Moot Court Competition in collaboration with the Moot Court Association of Government Law College- Mr. D. M. Harish’s alma mater. The moot court competition provides a platform for law students from across the global to delve into the intricacies of International Law and avail of an excellent opportunity to hone their advocacy skills. With each passing edition of the competition the organizers strive to scale greater heights and pay homage to the high standards of excellence set by Late Mr. D. M. Harish.

D.M. Harish Foundation extends its welcome and best wishes to those who are ‘the guardians of the future of the world, who will enhance the quality of justice and freedom enjoyed by the citizens of the world’.