From Bar to Benches: Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy Takes Oath as Rajya Sabha MP

Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy has reached a historic milestone in Indian politics by taking the oath as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from West Bengal.

A Rhodes Scholar with a D.Phil from Oxford and an LL.M. from Harvard, Dr. Guruswamy is widely recognized for her pivotal role in decriminalizing same-sex relationships in India.

Her election in 2026 marks her as the first openly queer MP at the national level.

Beyond her landmark litigation in the Section 377 and Right to Education cases, she has served as a global constitutional advisor to the UN and taught at premier institutions like Columbia and Yale Law Schools.