Menaka Guruswamy Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Dr. Menaka Guruswamy
Profession(s)	• Politician • Lawyer
Known For	For being a lead lawyer in the landmark 2018 Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India Supreme Court case
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Politics
Political Party	All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
Political Journey	In 2026: Joined All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	27 November 1974 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2025)	51 Years
Birthplace	Secunderabad, Telangana, India
Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Secunderabad, Telangana
School	The Hyderabad Public School, Hyderabad Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi
College/University	• National Law School of India University, Bangalore • Harvard Law School, Massachusetts • University of Oxford, England
Educational Qualification(s)	• A bachelor of arts and bachelor of legislative law (Honours) from National Law School of India University, Bangalore (1997) • A bachelor's in civil law from the University of Oxford (2000) • A master's in law from Harvard Law School (2001) • A doctor of philosophy from the University of Oxford (2015)
Religion	Hinduism
Hobbies	Reading, Running, Traveling
Social Media	• Instagram • Twitter • LinkedIn
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Affair/Girlfriend	Arundhati Katju (Lawyer)
Family
Parents	Father- Mohan Guruswamy (politician) Mother- Meera Guruswamy

Some Lesser Known Facts About Menaka Guruswamy

• Menaka Guruswamy was born and grew up in Secunderabad, Telangana.

• Her father, Mohan Guruswamy, was a former Bharatiya Janata Party strategist and Special Advisor to Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

• Due to her father’s job, she moved to New Delhi with her family when she was 11 years old.

• In 1997, after completing her B.A.LL.B. (Hons) from National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Menaka started her legal career with the then Attorney General of India, Ashok Desai.

• In 2000, she was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to read a bachelor’s in civil law at the University of Oxford (2000) and in 2001 the Gammon Fellowship to pursue the LL.M at Harvard Law School.

• After completing her BCL at Oxford (2000) and LL.M. at Harvard (2001), she started practicing law as an Associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York.

• In 2002, Menaka returned to India and started practicing in the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi, mainly in the White Collar Defense, Constitutional Law, Corporate Law, and Arbitration. She has also represented the Union of India and the National Capital Territory of Delhi in various matters.

• In 2015, she completed her PhD from the University of Oxford, with a thesis on ‘Constitutionalism in India, Pakistan and Nepal’.

• In 2016, Guruswamy, along with her partner Arundhati Katju and other lawyers, filed a petition on behalf of five LGBT petitioners led by Navtej Singh Johar challenging the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. She was also one of the lawyers behind efforts to decriminalise Section 377 in 2018.

• In 2017, Guruswamy was the first Indian and second woman to have her portrait hung at Milner Hall in Rhodes House at the University of Oxford.

• From 2017 to 2019, she served as a Lecturer at Columbia Law School, New York. Additionally, she has also been visiting faculty at Yale Law School, New York University School of Law, and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

• In 2019, Menaka Guruswamy was promoted to senior advocate by the Supreme Court of India.

• In 2019, in an interview, Menaka revealed that she was in a same sex-relationship with Arundhati Katju.
  

  Menaka Guruswamy with her partner, Arundhati Katju

• In January 2019, her name featured in Foreign Policy’s 100 Global Thinkers List, along with other prominent personalities such as Michelle Obama, Kofi Annan, and Jeff Bezos.

• In that same year, Menaka and her partner, Arundhati Katju, were listed on the Time 100, the most influential people in the world. Additionally, Trailblazer featured Menaka in Forbes India’s List of Women in Power.

• Some of her notable cases are the Salwa Judum case (2011), the Right to Education case (2012), the bureaucratic reforms case (2013), and the Augusta Westland bribery case (2013).

• Along with her legal practice, Menaka Guruswamy has also advised various organizations, including the United Nations Development Fund, New York, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), New York, and UNICEF South Sudan, on various aspects of International Human Rights Law. Additionally, she has supported the constitution-making process in Nepal.

• In February 2026, Menaka Guruswamy joined the Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal. On 27 February 2026, she announced her candidacy for the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections to be held on 16 March 2026.

• If elected, she will be the first LGBTIQ+ person to serve as a member of parliament in India.

• Menaka Goswamy also writes legal articles for renowned publications, including the New York Times, the Indian Express, The Hindu, and Scroll. in.

• Menaka Goswamy enjoys cycling and running in her free time.
  

  Menaka Guruswamy, while cycling