Born in 1947 at Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Mr. Tulsi graduated with Hons. in Political Science from the Punjab University and completed his Bachelors in Law in 1971, when he was enrolled as a member of the Bar of Punjab & Haryana High Court.
Having been a keen debater in school and college, and a topper in moot courts in law, he decided that he would earn his bread by his spoken word. The initial years of practice were complimented by assignment as a part-time lecturer in law between 1973-76, during which time he also authored two books, Tulsi’s Digest of Accident Claims Cases and Goswami and Tulsi’s Landlord & Tenant Cases, both of which were published by the Eastern Law House, Calcutta. In 1976, he was appointed a reporter of the Indian Law Reports (Punjab Series). Even though Mr. Tulsi practiced in courts far and wide, from Guwahati and Calcutta to Bombay and Simla, he still got addicted to writing on law and has published hundreds of articles in Law Journals and newspapers.
From 1980 onwards, Mr. Tulsi gradually drifted to the field of criminal law on his appointment as a Special Prosecutor against terrorists in Punjab, Delhi and Assam. While terrorism was raging in Punjab and no lawyer was willing to come forward and prosecute the terrorists, Mr. Tulsi accepted the onerous responsibility of prosecuting ‘A’ grade terrorists including the cases of Operation Black Thunder, attempt on the life of Mr. JF Rebeiro, Talwara Bank Dacoity case etc.
In 1987, he was designated as a Senior Advocate and in 1990, he was appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India, in which position he represented the State before more than ten Constitution Benches of the Supreme Court of India, in several important cases including the constitutional validity of the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, cases arising out of the assassination of former Prime Minister Sh. Rajiv Gandhi, the Bombay Blast case, the Calcutta Bomb Blast case as well as important cases against various terrorist organizations such as JKLF, LTTE, PWG etc.
In 1994, Mr. Tulsi was elected as the President of the Criminal Justice Society of India, which position he holds till today. In the same year, he was elected as the President of the Intellectual Property Attorneys Association and later as the Vice-President of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association. Under the leadership of Mr. Tulsi, the Criminal Justice Society of India has organized several important national seminars on subjects such as delays in criminal justice, procedure for search and seizure, matrimonial offences, combating corruption etc.
However, the crowning glory in the even otherwise glorious career of Mr. Tulsi, was the successful prosecution of the case on behalf of the victims of the infamous Uphaar Tragedy, wherein his tireless and dedicated effort lasting over six years against the combined onslaught of a big business house as well as various statutory agencies of the Government, led to the victims being granted a hitherto unheard amount of compensation to the victims. The Judgment is not only a landmark in the field of Public Interest Litigation but also a giant step forward in the effort to improve the quality of governance in our country. The case not only reinforced the factum of his being a professional of rare grit and merit but also showed to the world his humane and compassionate nature as he refused to accept any monetary compensation from the victims for his untiring efforts lasting over a 150 hearings in the Delhi High Court. Mr. Tulsi has set new standards of public service amongst lawyers and has revived public faith and confidence in the legal community.
Even after resigning as the Additional Solicitor General of India, he kept representing the Government and various security and police agencies in special engagements. He appeared as a Special Counsel for the State of Tamil Nadu in a murder case against the Shankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Math (2004) and also in Coimbatore Bomb Blast (2005). He has since then been representing a host of eminent individuals and organizations including corporates, before various Courts of Law in India and abroad.
He has made a successful endeavor of working towards public cause. His constant fight for the victims of Uphaar Tragedy since 1997, without accepting any remuneration is a remarkable example of this regard. Presently, he is also appearing before full Bench at Punjab and Haryana High Court, wherein an issue of importance of hair in Sikhism is pending adjudication. In the said case, he is asserting on the teachings of the various Gurus and the condition precedent as prescribed in Guru Granth Sahib wherein, having shorn hair is said to be “the” most important criterion of being a Sikh.
He is being respected all over the Country for his clean and untarnished image. He has been appointed as Vice-Chairman of the 19th Law Commission of India on a part-time basis. He filled a mercy petition for the commutation of Devender Pal Singh’s death sentence to life imprisonment. He is also representing Sanjay Chandra in the 2G scam case.