Mr. Shantanu Mohan Puri

Area of expertise: Mr. Puri, who is based in India, has served as an expert witness for over 20 years and prepared numerous expert reports/opinions on a range of issues for Legal Practitioners, Barristers, Solicitors, Attorneys, Tribunals and Courts including (but not limited to) those on

• Indian Laws on Citizenship and Nationality,
• The Indian Visa regime and OCI cards,
• Issues faced by a British national married to an Indian spouse on being relocated to India,
• Internal relocation,
• Treatment of minorities in India including Muslims, Christians and those from other religions,
• Rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India,
• Extradition proceedings from the UK to India,
• Legal issues concerning Law and Society in India,
• Mirror orders,
• Matrimonial proceedings,
• Interpretation of statutes, Bigamy,
• Single parent custody,
• Property and asset valuation,
• Official and personal/customary laws of India on marriage, divorce and adoption,
• Status of religious/ethnic minorities,
• Status of single and divorced women in India,
• Laws applicable to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs,
• Implications of foreign court orders before Indian courts,
• effecting warrant and summon service,
• Ground investigation and verification work done to check the veracity of Indian documents and claims of asylum applicants in the UK,
• Homosexuality in India,
• Issues in Indian Family law including inter-faith marriages, inter-caste marriages, mixed race children, child custody and abduction, caste system, Honour crimes and killings,
• Indian Civil and Indian Criminal law including crimes committed against women, money laundering, foreign exchange violations, offences under the Indian Penal Code and other Indian laws, 
• Human rights violations in India,
• Police persecution of religious minorities,
• The role of the Indian state in dealing with insurgency and terrorism in various parts of India like Kashmir and the north east of India,
• Treatment of former Indian Maoists, Naxalites and members of insurgent groups in various parts of India,
• Indian Domestic Violence Law and the treatment of women in India,
• Functioning and role of the local police in India,
• Prevalence of the practice of bribery and corruption by public servants in India,
• Conversion of religion,
• Validity of documents issued in India,
• Afghans Sikhs in the UK and their nationality issues involving Indian citizenship laws,
• Refugees in India from Afghanistan, Tibet, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, among other countries,
• Treatment of Tamil nationals and former LTTE members in India,
• Cross border issues involving Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Nepalese nationals and other such issues.

QUALIFICATIONS: B.A. (Hons.) Panjab; LLB (Panjab); LLM (London)

Achievements & Responsibilities:

• Recipient of the Felix Fellowship 2000-2001 to study for an LLM - at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
• Responsible for a Boutique Law firm which deals with an international clientele and their interests in India.
• Counsel and Lawyer to over 15 diplomatic missions in Chandigarh, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkatta.

Specific areas of study & expertise:

Special interest in Private international Law with focus on Immigration and matrimonial proceedings, child custody, child abduction, Division of Assets, cross jurisdiction work. Rendering opinions on genuineness of documents issued by Indian authorities including undertaking field visits and investigations all over India to verify claims of individuals and also the genuineness of documents. Regularly preparing expert reports on Indian Laws for U.K. Courts and Solicitors. Good knowledge of Indian Criminal, Civil, Family, Commercial and

Corporate laws. Regularly consulted on various aspects of Indian personal /religious and customary Laws. Have dealt extensively with Asylum applications under UK Immigration and Nationality Laws before the Home Office and UK Tribunals and Courts. Also consulted in Visa refusal and appeal cases (including out of country) pertaining to Indian nationals by UK Solicitors, Barristers and legal Case workers.

Country & 'In-Country' Visits:
England, United States of America, Canada, Belgium, Japan, Hong Kong, Iceland, Greece, France, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

Within India, Delhi, Mumbai, Pondicherry, Chennai, States of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.