Anirudh Mathur

Contact Anirudh : AnirudhMathur@matrixlaw.co.uk | +44 (0)20 7404 3447

Contact Anirudh 's Practice Team (Team M): TeamM@matrixlaw.co.uk

Anirudh practises in employment and discrimination, public and human rights, private and public international, and commercial law. His cases often have an international element and raise issues overlapping practice areas. He currently acts for a wide range of clients, from vulnerable individuals to commercial parties. He has worked on cases at every level of tribunal and court, including several cases before the European Court of Human Rights.

He is highly regarded for the quality of his oral advocacy, including cross-examination.

Recent Significant Cases

• Successfully defending a FTSE-100 Respondent from six-figure discrimination claims following a two-week trial.
• Acting for the Claimants in the challenge to the Home Secretary’s policy of removing asylum-seekers to Rwanda (led by Raza Husain KC and Phillippa Kaufmann KC), including in a successful interim measures application before the European Court of Human Rights.
• Acting for the Claimants (over 1,500 Brazilian orange farmers) in Viegas and Sanches & Ors v Cutrale & Ors (junior counsel led by James Flynn KC and James Ramsden KC), a business and human rights dispute arising out of an orange juice cartel.
• Acting for refugee Applicants before the ECtHR in several successful interim measures applications against Greece, as well as an application challenging ‘pushbacks’ by Greece in the Aegean sea.
• Acting for a high-net-worth commercial party in an international civil fraud claim (as junior counsel).

Employment and Equality

• Successfully defending a FTSE-100 Respondent, following a two-week trial, from six-figure discrimination claims (as sole counsel).
• Defending a Respondent, following a two-week trial, from claims of race discrimination and victimisation (as sole counsel).
• Successfully defending a Respondent company, following a six-day trial, from claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination (as sole counsel).
• Successfully defending a Respondent from claims of indirect discrimination in relation to a language requirement at work (as sole counsel).
• Successfully defending a major broadcaster from claims of duress and breach of contract (as sole counsel).
• Successfully obtaining a stay of ET proceedings at the beginning of a trial, in light of concurrent High Court fraud proceedings valued at £1.5m (as sole counsel)
• Obtaining a successful settlement for a claimant dancer in a trade union victimisation and holiday pay claim brought against her former bar (advising pro bono as sole counsel, against a leading KC and senior junior).
• Acting for a Claimant in a PH regarding the territorial jurisdiction of the Employment Tribunal and the human rights law relevant to this (as junior counsel to Ed Kemp).
• Acting successfully for a Second Respondent (alleged harasser) seeking to be removed from harassment proceedings (as sole counsel).
• Numerous successful appearances in various other trials, strike outs, and PHs.

Public Law and Human Rights

• Acting for the Claimants in the challenge to the Home Secretary’s policy of removing asylum-seekers to Rwanda (led by Raza Husain KC and Phillippa Kaufmann KC), including in the successful interim measures application before the European Court of Human Rights that halted the first scheduled charter flight. Anirudh was instructed due to his expertise in European human rights law, including niche expertise on the law and practice of Rule 39 interim measures.
• Acting pro bono in relation to an application before the European Court of Human Rights challenging pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, brought by refugee applicants against Greece.
• Acting pro bono in relation to numerous successful interim measures applications to the European Court of Human Rights, by refugee applicants against Greece.
• Acting successfully for the Claimants in a SEN challenge to a Local Authority’s refusal of an Education, Health and Care Plan (pro bono).
• Acting regularly for applicants in immigration detention seeking immigration bail.

Private International Law

Anirudh has substantial experience of private international law claims brought by claimant groups against businesses and their owners. These ‘business and human rights’ claims include:

• Acting successfully for the Claimants (over 1,500 Brazilian orange farmers) in Viegas and Sanches & Ors v Cutrale & Ors (junior counsel led by James Flynn KC and James Ramsden KC). This business and human rights case is a claim for competition damages, arising from anti-competitive activities by individuals and companies involved in orange juice production. The Claimants successfully established jurisdiction against the two orange juice tycoons and the case continues.
• Acting as part of the Claimants’ core team in Mariana v BHP (junior counsel in team led by Charles Hollander KC). This multi-billion pound commercial group action, arising from the collapse of a Brazilian dam, is one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2020.

Anirudh has further experience of business and human rights claim in India.

• Arguing pro bono for an Indian anti-corruption NGO in hearings against mineral miners, before a committee comprising retired Indian Supreme Court Justices (prior to pupillage, unled) (“the Odisha Mining” case). Anirudh argued against two top-tier Indian Silks over 5 days of hearings.

Anirudh also has broader private international law experience in the context of commercial dispute resolution, including:

• Acting for the Claimants in resisting a jurisdiction challenge to a claim brought against a State (junior counsel).
• Acting for parties making and resisting service out applications, in the context of broader commercial proceedings.

Public International Law

Anirudh has a busy practice advising lawyers outside England & Wales on public international law issues relevant to strategic litigation, including on international human rights law. This aspect of his practice builds on experience prior to joining the UK bar:

• Acting pro bono in relation to an application before the European Court of Human Rights challenging pushbacks in the Aegean Sea, brought by refugee applicants against Greece.
• Acting pro bono in relation to numerous successful interim measures applications to the European Court of Human Rights, by refugee applicants against Greece.
• Assisting on the ‘Rohingya case’ before the Indian Courts, challenging the proposed deportation of India’s Rohingya refugees. Anirudh continued to provide pro bono assistance on this matter.
• Assisting on Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan v Union of India 2018 SCC OnLine SC 724, challenging criminal law restrictions on protest rights.
• Assisting on S. Puttaswamy (Aadhaar-5J). v Union of India (2019) 1 SCC 1 (“the Aadhaar” case), challenging the constitutionality of a national biometric identity scheme.
• Working as a legal researcher for the UN Fact Finding Mission to Myanmar, researching issues of international human rights, humanitarian and criminal law.
• Contributing research to the Justice Verma Committee (on amendments to Indian criminal law). This committee was constituted by the Government of India following an incident of gang rape on a bus in Delhi. The Committee was tasked with reforming Indian criminal law relating to sexual violence.

Commercial Law

• Acting for a high-net-worth commercial party in an ongoing international civil fraud claim (junior counsel).
• Acting for a Claimant in a multi-million pound bonus dispute, which raised issues regarding contract formation (as junior counsel to David Reade KC).
• Advising on a £4m asset recovery matter raising issues under the Proceeds of Crime Act and involving multiple jurisdictions (as junior counsel to James Ramsden KC).
• Advising on the merits of a £250k civil fraud claim (as sole counsel).
• Acting for the Defendants in a six-figure dispute, including at a contested interim hearing (as sole counsel).
• See also the matters noted in the section on ‘Private International Law’.

Education, Scholarships and Other

Education

• 2016 – 2017: Bar Professional Training Course (City University)
• 2015 – 2016: GDL (City University), Distinction, Top of year
• 2014 – 2015: MSc International Development (LSE), Distinction, Top of year
• 2011 – 2014: BA Philosophy Politics and Economics (Balliol College, Oxford)

Scholarships and prizes

• Worshipful Company of Arbitrators, Best Team (decided by Tribunal including Sir Peter Cresswell) (2019)
• Inner Temple, Sir Joseph Priestley Award (2017)
• City University, 3 Verulam Buildings Prize for Best Overall Performance in GDL (2016)
• Inner Temple, GDL Major and BPTC Princess Royal Scholarships (2015 and 2016)
• LSE, Prize for Best Overall Performance in MSc (2015)
• Balliol College (Oxford), Various Scholarships and Prizes (2012 and 2013)

Other relevant experience and interests

• Trustee of Good Chance, a theatre company and human rights charity (2018 – ).
• Experience in political speechwriting and journalism (including interview with the Dalai Lama for front cover by-line in Outlook Magazine) (2011-2013).
• Intern at the Bank of England (2010).
• Hindi (fluent); German (basic).

Anirudh is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In order to provide legal services to his clients, including advice and representation services, Anirudh needs to collect and hold personal data. This includes his clients’ personal data and the personal data of others who feature in the matter in which he is instructed. To read Anirudh’s privacy notice in full, please see here.

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