OUR TEAM

PEOPLE

MUMBAI

Bharat Agarwal
Founder & Managing Partner
B.com from Mumbai University, a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Law Graduate from Mumbai University and winner of Kinloch Forbes Gold Medal.
Bharat is a Founder Partner of the firm. He started his career in 1997 as a practicing Chartered Accountant and specialised in handling Income Tax Litigation before various forums like Authority for Advance Ruling, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Income Tax Settlement Commission. Obtained LLB degree in 2010 from Mumbai University and was awarded “Kinloch Forbes Gold Medal”. He subsequently surrendered the ICAI “certificate of practice” and obtained Sanad from the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa under the Advocates Act. Since then he has been appearing before various courts and forums handling a gamut of laws. Now he specialises in structuring of real estate deals with special focus on tax and due diligence of title of property.

He is academically inclined and has authored 2 books; one on Service Tax and another co authored with Ritika Agarwal on Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He is a regular contributor of articles to various legal magazines. He is also a visiting lecturer for various organisations and have delivered lectures at ICAI and Dr. D Y Patil College of Law, Navi Mumbai. He is a member of Chamber of Income Tax Consultants (CITC) and Bombay Chartered Accountants Society (BCAS) and ITAT Bar Association.
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Ritika Agarwal
Founder & Senior Partner
B.Com (H) from Delhi University, a qualified Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Law Graduate from Mumbai University.
She co-founded the firm with Bharat Agarwal and is now Senior Partner of the firm. She started as a practicing Chartered Accountant in 1995. She was trained under her illustrious father, followed his footsteps and took to Income Tax litigation practice. She has appeared before Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), Income Tax Settlement Commission and Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. She has also successfully completed course on "International Taxation". Most of the cases argued by her have been reported in various tax journals. She completed her LLB degree in 2010 from Mumbai University and obtained Sanad from Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in 2011. Since then she has been appearing before Mumbai High Court in Company Law, Tax and property matters as also appearance in income tax search and seizure matters before Commissioner (Appeals), ITAT, Income Tax Settlement Commission and Bombay High Court
  • Company Law matters before Bombay High Court
  • Disputes related to land laws viz. MRTP, MLRC and BTAL Before Bombay High Court
  • Preparation and drafting of submissions and appeals under the Income Tax Act and Companies Act
  • Preparation of appeals, notice of motion and caveats before High Court
  • Appearance in suits relating to land laws before Civil Courts
  • Drafting of submissions before the Civil Courts, MRT and Revenue Minister
  • Appeals under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996

She has appeared as guest lecturer in the subject of income tax before the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management and D.Y Patil Law College. She has also rendered refresher lecture on latest case laws in income tax to the officers of the income tax department. She has authored various articles and co-authored a book of money laundering alongwith Bharat Agarwal. She heads the Litigation department of the firm.
She is a member of Bombay Chartered Accountants Society (BCAS), ITAT Bar Association
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Sneha Sarbhushan
Senior Associate (Transactions)
Sneha is a Chartered Accountant and a Law graduate from Mumbai University. She has obtained her Sanad from the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa and is practising as an advocate before the Bombay High Court.
She started her career as a trainee with the firm in January, 2011 and has been involved in structuring of land deals for real estate developers and drafts deal documents with focus on reducing the transaction cost for the parties involved. She has been contributing articles to various tax magazines and delivers lectures on tax issues regularly. She also handles Income Tax, Service Tax, GST litigations including writ petitions before the Bombay High Court. She has successfully obtained a certificate from Foundation of International Taxation for course on "International Taxation".
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Girish Mhatre
Senior Associate (Transactions)
Girish started his career as an intern with Acelegal. He completed his BLS LLB in year 2018 from University of Mumbai and has achieved Masters of Law in Constitutional Law. He holds a Sanad from the Bar Council of India. He is handling various land related issue such as Land Title Search, Real Estate Documentation and appearance before RERA Authority & different courts. He is actively involved in structuring of real estate deals and documentation.
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Ananya Agarwal
Associate (Transactions)
Ananya Agarwal is an Associate in the Transactions team at Acelegal. A graduate of the BBA LLB (Hons.) program at Symbiosis Law School, Pune, Ananya specializes in structuring and executing real estate deals including conducting comprehensive legal due diligence on property titles, regulatory approvals for LLPs, companies, and partnerships, as well as on business entities for acquisitions. She has a strong foundation in drafting a wide array of property-related documents, including Conveyance Deeds, Development Agreements, Share Purchase Agreements, and various other contracts. Beyond property transactions, Ananya aids clients in trademark lifecycle management, providing end-to-end services from initial searches to robust defense strategies. Her skills also extend to the media industry, where she assists artists and marketing agencies with deal negotiations and the drafting of service agreements.
Sharvari Kadam
Sharvari Kadam is a 2024 graduate of the University of Mumbai with a BLS. LLB. degree and holds a Diploma in Cyber Law from the Asian School of Cyber Laws. She embarked on her legal career as an intern at Acelegal and has quickly advanced to the role of Associate at the firm, where she is working across both litigation and non-litigation teams under the guidance of Senior Associates and Partners.
She is significantly involved in various Real Estate Transactions, including Due Diligence of Property and the drafting of Transaction Documents. Her work extends beyond transactional law into complex litigation matters, where she plays an active role in drafting documents for Income Tax disputes, RERA matters, and other intricate court submissions.
Ivanna Hazel
Ivanna Hazel holds a Bachelor of Commerce (G) degree from Delhi University and completed her Law from Mumbai University in 2024. She had secured first place in a research paper writing competition organized by D Y Patil.
Having commenced her career as a intern, she now serves as the first hybrid Legal Associate at Acelegal, she navigates both litigation and non-litigation teams. She is involved in drafting real estate legal documents as well as preparing writ petitions and replies for proceedings before the Bombay High Court and Income Tax forums.
She has a keen interest in real estate law, IPR and income tax, and has actively contributed to enhancing public understanding of these areas through various social media platforms.
Yaminee Varma
Yaminee has done her Bachelor’s in Management Studies, Master’s in Public Administration and completed her L.L.B. in 2022 from University of Mumbai. She is currently pursuing her L.L.M. in Intellectual Property Rights and Information Technology Law from University of Mumbai. She has joined the firm in August 2024 and is a part of the litigation team of the firm. At Acelegal, she is handling matters pertaining to taxation and real estate law.
Aachal Koli
Aachal completed her Bachelor's Degree in Law from Mumbai University in July 2023. She recently earned her Master's Degree in Public Administration and is currently pursuing LL.M. in Business Law from MU. She joined Acelegal in July 2024 as a Litigation Associate and she's handling matters related to Taxation Law and Real Estate Law. Aachal has appeared before ITAT & RERA forums.
Anuj Deshmukh
Anuj completed his LLB from ILS Law College Pune in the year 2023 and thereafter he pursued and completed his LLM from Symbiosis Law School Pune in Business and Corporate Laws in 2024. He joined Acelegal in August 2024 as a Litigation Associate and is handling matters related to Taxation Law and Real Estate Law. He has a rich experience of practicing litigation in Pune District and Sessions courts as a legal intern during his LLB and LLM years. Anuj regularly appears before the Hon'ble Bombay High Court, ITAT, DRT, RERA and REAT etc. Anuj often participates in various seminars related to corporate law and also pursues courses related to corporate laws to continuously upskill himself.

DELHI

Akarsh Garg
Associate Partner
Akarsh specializes in Direct and Indirect Tax Litigation and Supreme Court Litigation. He undertakes a range of contentious work on behalf of domestic and foreign corporations, representing them before various fora.
He is adept at handling a variety of commercial disputes, particularly in the areas of telecom, building and construction, Prevention of Money Laundering disputes, and financial services. He is also among the very few advocates/professionals who expertise and practice in Income Tax Settlement Commission.
Akarsh completed his law degree from Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in 2009. Prior to joining Acelegal, he has experience of handling Supreme Court Litigation since 2012 and has been part of team handling various taxation disputes both Direct and Indirect Tax, Telecom Disputes, Petroleum and Natural Gas Disputes, Regulatory and Policy matters.
Akarsh has appeared and argued before various fora including Supreme Court of India, High Courts, District Courts, Income Tax Settlement Commission, ITAT, CESTAT, PMLA, PNGRB, APTEL, ERCs, NGT, Arbitral Tribunal and various other Tribunals/Authorities. Akarsh has also advised and has given legal opinions to various clients including MNCs, big Indian business houses and High Net-Worth Individuals.
He is registered with the Bar Council of Delhi and is a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Delhi High Court Bar Association, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Bar Association.
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Mansi Jain Garg
Associate Partner
Mansi specializes in Commercial Mediation and Resolution of Family disputes. She is based in Delhi and has over 10 years of experience in Mediation, resolution of family disputes and drafting and vetting of contract especially relating to media laws. Prior to joining Acelegal, Mansi has worked with Neo Juris.
Mansi has a master’s degree in Business Laws from the Kurukshetra University.
She has facilitated mediation in variety of disputes relating to commercial contracts, family succession and even divorce matters amongst many others. She has also advised on various aspects of commercial laws and led a number of legal due diligences across various sectors.
She is registered with the Bar Council of Delhi.
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