Mr. Nani Palkhiwala was born in Bombay on 16th January 1920 to a middle class Parsi parents. He was educated at Master's Tutorial High School and later at St. Xaviers College in Bombay. He also earned his Masters in English Literature. However, when he was rejected by the University of Bombay for the post of a lecturer of English, he enrolled himself with Government Law College, Bombay, where he discovered his gift of comprehending the intricacies of Jurisprudence.

He joined the Bar in 1944 and served in the chamber of legendary Sir Jamshedi Behramji Kangan and after some time, his excellent court craft turned him into an irresistible force. He along with Sir Jamshedji, published a book on Commercial and Tax Law with the title "The Law and Practice of Income Tax".

In 1954, he started practicing in the Supreme Court of India. His first argument before the Supreme Court was against Article 29 (2) and 30 of the Indian Constitution which regulate the rights of religious minorities. He had great respect for the Indian Constitution, for which he tried to bring flexibility for the purpose of bringing simplicity to it.

Due to his distinguished services to the cause of Law, he also had received various honorary Doctorates during his practice days from various universities like Lawrence University, Ambedkar Law University and The University of Bombay etc.

In his later years, he was assigned various other important posts like Attorney General of the India among others. Mr. Nani Palkhiwala passed away on Dec 11, 2002.