Kapil Sibal (born 8 August 1948) is an Indian lawyer and politician. He is one of India’s most prominent senior advocates and has represented clients in many of the Supreme Court’s landmark cases. He served as a Union Minister in several key portfolios under Manmohan Singh, including Human Resource Development, Telecommunications and Law. He left the Congress in 2022 and is now an independent member of the Rajya Sabha.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Kapil Sibal |
| Born | 8 August 1948, Jalandhar, Punjab, India |
| Age | 78 |
| Profession | Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; politician |
| Current role | Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh (independent, since 2022) |
| Former party | Indian National Congress (until 2022) |
| Education | St. Stephen’s College and Faculty of Law, Delhi University; LLM, Harvard Law School |
| Spouse | Promila Sibal |
| Children | Amit Sibal, Akhil Sibal (both lawyers) |
Early Life and Education
Sibal was born in Jalandhar. His father, H. L. Sibal, was a distinguished lawyer. Kapil studied history at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and law at Delhi University. He then earned a master’s degree in law from Harvard Law School.
Legal Career
Sibal was designated a Senior Advocate in 1983 and served as Additional Solicitor General of India in 1989–90. He has been elected president of the Supreme Court Bar Association several times, most recently in 2024–25. He has argued many high-profile constitutional and political cases before the Supreme Court.
Political Career
Sibal first entered the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in 1998. He won the Chandni Chowk seat in Delhi for the Congress in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
In Manmohan Singh’s governments, Sibal served as Minister of Science and Technology and then as Minister of Human Resource Development. In that role he oversaw the rollout of the Right to Education Act. Later he was Minister of Communications and IT, and briefly Minister of Law and Justice.
Sibal was part of a group of senior Congress leaders who in 2020 publicly called for organisational reforms in the party. In May 2022 he left the Congress. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh as an independent with the backing of Akhilesh Yadav‘s Samajwadi Party. He remains an active voice on constitutional and legal issues.
Personal Life
Sibal’s first wife, Nina, died in 2000, and he later married Promila Sibal. His sons, Amit and Akhil, are both lawyers. Sibal is also a published poet.
Key Offices Held
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Kapil Sibal born?
Kapil Sibal was born on 8 August 1948 in Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
