India mourns eminent lawyer

The eminent Indian lawyer and constitutional expert, Nani Ardeshir Palkhivala, has died in Bombay, or Mumbai, following a long illness.

He was 82.

Mr Palkhivala was considered the foremost authority on India's federal constitution and an expert in the country's tax laws.

He was also a famed public speaker, whose annual post-budget speeches attracted huge crowds in Mumbai, formerly Bombay.

His career in public life spanned five decades, and included two years as ambassador to the United States between 1977 and 1979.

The former prime minister, Morarji Desai, described Mr Palkhivala as India's finest intellectual.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service