Basanti Mardemootoo

Personal profile

Basanti is a first six pupil and is currently supervised by Serena Gates. She looks forward to developing her knowledge across Chambers’ areas of practice.

Basanti comes to the Bar with a strong multi-disciplinary academic background. She featured on the University of California, Davis’ Dean’s Honours List (2016-2018) while pursuing a BA in International Relations and Political Science and was awarded the Queen Mary University of London’s Law (Senior Status) scholarship (2021) while undertaking her law degree. Basanti is also the recipient of a Bar Course scholarship from the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple (2021/22).

Prior to starting pupillage, Basanti was a paralegal at Bhatt Murphy Solicitors where she was on the team acting on behalf of the Long Covid Groups in the Covid-19 Public Inquiry for Modules 2 (Government decision-making) and 3 (Impact on healthcare systems). Basanti also assisted in representing the family of the deceased at an Article 2 Inquest relating to a death in custody at HMP Styal, which resulted in a finding of death by suicide contributed to by neglect amongst other failures.

Basanti has also worked at various international organisations. At the International Criminal Court, Basanti assisted the Director of External Operations with the Court’s functions in the areas of cooperation, communication, protection of witnesses and analysis. She then went on to intern for both the Office of Counter Terrorism at the United Nations (2020) and the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate at the United Nations Security Council (2021). Her responsibilities at the UN included collecting terrorism-related legislation, analysing human rights/ rule of law provisions, drafting briefing notes and project management plans, as well as performing tasks relating to various events/initiatives including the UN’s Joint Briefing on ISIL in Africa and work being done on ‘Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration’.

Basanti has volunteered with a number of organisations. This includes working with the Queen Mary University of London’s Legal Advice Centre, the Centre for Small States, the Islands Rights’ Initiative and Vocalise. As part of Vocalise, Basanti taught an 8-week course on advocacy skills to inmates at HMP Pentonville which culminated in a debating competition.