Rutuja Pol

Aman is an experienced IP, technology and disputes lawyer. At Ikigai, he has focused on online content, intermediary liability, online gaming, alco-tech and drones. In a previous avatar, he spent 4 years litigating at Anand and Anand, where he was a part of the firm’s IT and ecommerce law practice group. He represented clients in numerous IP disputes before the Delhi High Court, advised on compliance with IT laws including due diligence and data protection, intermediary liability, the conclusion of online contracts and the validity of digital signatures. He also managed license compliance campaigns for large software publishers. Aman received the Netherlands Fellowship Program scholarship to pursue his master’s degree in law and technology from Tilburg University. At Tilburg, he specialised in privacy and data protection (GDPR), cloud contracts, e-commerce, health tech regulation and EU approaches to IP. Before joining Ikigai, he also spent a short stint with the IT legal team at Shell’s IT hub in Bangalore. His views on Indian law and policy have been carried by media houses and publications such as the Economic Times, the Indian Express, Times of India, Medianama, the Citizen, Tech Circle, India Ahead TV and Mojo Story. Aman loves traveling with his dog, Betty, and aspires to start a dog travel vlog one day.

Reach Aman at aman@ikigailaw.com

Aparajita heads the product and regulatory practice at Ikigai Law. She was recognized for her “ability to provide constant high-quality support” in the Indian Business Law Journal in May 2020. She is also recognized as an India expert by OneTrust Data Guidance. At Ikigai Law, she advises technology companies on their go-live strategy, product development, and design. She helps tech businesses navigate regulatory environments while they launch and scale. One of her core practice areas is fintech, especially digital payments, neo-banking, and lending. She has helped launch and scale several first-to market fintech products. Before joining Ikigai Law, she was an in-house counsel at PayU and Hike Messenger and a corporate lawyer with J. Sagar Associates and AZB & Partners.

Reach Aparajita at aparajita@ikigailaw.com

Astha focuses on providing regulatory and strategic advice to new-age innovation led businesses. She has advised clients across diverse sectors including aviation, FMCG, hospitality, e-commerce, electric mobility, pharmaceuticals, venture capital, and financial services. Before Ikigai, she was corporate counsel at IndiGo. Earlier, she was also external legal counsel for PepsiCo India where she advised on the transfer of PepsiCo’s business in south and west India to Varun Beverages Limited. She spent over 3 years with the corporate advisory team at J. Sagar Associates. She also had a stint with Themis Associates where she worked with the transaction advisory team and advised Sequoia Capital on its investments. When not lawyering, Astha writes poetry and short stories.

Reach Astha at astha@ikigailaw.com

Rahil is a Principal Associate in Ikigai’s government affairs and public policy practice. He has a keen interest in the intersection of politics, society, technology and enterprise. He advises various technology companies and government clients on issues related to Internet governance, platform regulation, online gaming, and telecom, among others. His versatile experience allows him an intersectional perspective to tech policy. Prior to this, he worked as a legislative aide to a Member of Parliament, running their parliamentary office and helping them formulate policy positions on diverse issues spanning multiple sectors. After an undergraduate degree in History and a Master’s in Social Work, he worked around the criminal justice system in various roles, specialising in death penalty sentencing, rehabilitation of victims, community organising, research and advocacy, before pursuing a law degree. He is also a trustee of a socio-legal aid organisation working in Delhi’s urban villages on issues of access to justice. Outside of work, Rahil has an interest in theatre and is an avid traveller and sports enthusiast.

Pallavi is a Principal Associate in Ikigai’s Advisory and Public Policy team. She advises leading technology companies, ecommerce giants, OTT platforms, digital media companies and Indian and global industry associations on a variety of issues including internet regulation, intermediary liability, data protection laws, content regulation, ecommerce laws, as well as emerging technologies such as AI, among others. Previously she spent 5 years with the law firm Saikrishna & Associates, where she helped international technology giants, technology and consumer electronic companies, OTT services and social media platforms, navigate the regulatory landscape of India. She has done strategic litigation for trademark and copyright infringement disputes, with focus on music licensing disputes in the media and entertainment industry. She has also advised on trademark/brand protection strategy and trademark, copyright and design registration. Her writing has been featured in various publications including MediaNama and the Bastion. Pallavi is also a trained Jazz dancer, a huge Bollywood buff, pop culture enthusiast and loves to travel to new places.

Anubhav is a legal professional specializing in private equity / venture capital, acquisitions, and other corporate commercial transactions. He has extensive experience representing funds and emerging growth companies across diverse sectors and stages of growth. His practice covers the entire investment/acquisition lifecycle - ranging from structuring and negotiating term sheets to conducting due diligence, drafting and finalizing transaction documents, and ensuring smooth execution through to closing. Beyond transactional work, Anubhav also advises on corporate governance, and a wide spectrum of other commercial arrangements including aviation leasing and finance, providing clients with strategic and practical solutions to achieve their business objectives. He has worked closely with partners and senior stakeholders, contributing meaningfully across transactions and advisory work.

Outside of work, Anubhav is a self-confessed anime nerd. He loves to travel, especially to the mountains, where he spends his time exploring offbeat cafes. He is also a pet lover and has a golden labrador, who keeps him happily occupied in his me time.

Akshat is part of Ikigai’s Product team. He works across practice areas on diverse mandates such as fintech, crypto-assets, and aviation. He holds an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Law from Jindal Global Law School. He was previously a non-resident research scholar at Policy 4.0 - an emerging technology think tank, exploring the frontiers of AI and blockchain policy. During his stint there, he helped craft governance frameworks and policy briefs that tackled knotty regulatory challenges in emerging tech. He enjoys vibe-coding, philosophy, abstract expressionist art and reviewing pizza places in his spare time.

Ateeb is part of the Public Policy and Advisory team at Ikigai and a graduate of National Law University, Jodhpur. He is passionate about the intersection of law and technology, with interests in data protection, blockchain, and cryptocurrency. Outside work, he’s a movie enthusiast, avid traveller, and enjoys running in his free time.

Chhavi is part of the Public Policy and Advisory team at Ikigai. She works at the intersection of law and technology, focusing on intellectual property and emerging tech, with experience across data privacy, gaming, and labour laws. A sports enthusiast, she enjoys reading fiction, playing games, and cheering for her favourite teams outside work.

Meghna is an Associate in the Product Team at Ikigai. She advises across the fintech stack – payments, lending, neobanking, blockchain, crypto. Her work includes setting up domestic and cross-border payment and credit rails (including UPI, PPI, PA, PA-CB, TReDS, card networks) and advising on data governance and compliance frameworks, with antifragile product design as the lodestar. She also works on shaping policy positions and advocacy strategies with regulators and industry bodies in the financial sector. A graduate of NLU Delhi, she previously worked at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Off hours: gigs, playlists, and vertical scrolling under protest.

Sweta is part of the PE/VC team at Ikigai and a 2024 law graduate from NLU Odisha. She previously worked as a banking and finance lawyer at Dentons Link Legal, focusing on project finance and advisory. Passionate about community service, she contributed to socio-legal initiatives through her university’s legal aid society. Outside work, she enjoys movies, travel, and exploring different cuisines.

Vidushi graduated from Amity Law School, Delhi (Affiliated to GGSIPU) and did a fellowship at Daksha with specialization in Law and Regulations pathway. She has experience in conducting evidence-based research across policy issues. She has assisted in building strategic partnerships and relationships with government officials, industry players, industry associations and think-tanks in the TMT space. Vidushi has also worked towards developing a legal journal- Corpus Juris and started a social venture called Saamarthya Volunteers, which is a network of people committed to driving social change. Beyond work, she has undertaken training in Hindustani classical music and enjoys exploring different Indian traditional painting styles.

Vaishnavi graduated with a B.A. LL.B. degree from Bennett University, The Times Group, in 2025 and has been working in the corporate legal space since then. Her experience primarily includes PE/VC transactions, due diligence, contract review, and secretarial compliances. She has a keen interest in mergers & acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and technology law.

Outside of work, Vaishnavi enjoys reading, traveling, and listening to music. She values continuous learning, embraces new challenges, and looks forward to learning from the team while contributing to exciting and impactful projects.

Anirudh’s expertise lies in helping businesses navigate ambiguous, evolving and sometimes non-existent regulatory frameworks. He wears multiple hats, that of a business advisor, a lawyer and a policy counsel. He is a Chambers & Partners ‘Band 1’ practitioner for Fintech, ‘Band 4’ practitioner for Technology, Media and Telecom and ‘Band 3’ practitioner for Aviation. The Economic Times called him a ‘pioneer’ for his work on India’s policy for drones. Business World magazine named him Achiever of the Year 2017 for his contribution to tech policy and entrepreneurship, including his advice on a privately-funded lunar mission. He has been involved in several first-of-their-kind mandates. He was awarded Managing Partner of the Year 2021 by Idex Legal and was named in the ‘A-list’ of Indian lawyers by the Indian Business law Journal. He is a visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Management-Indore, where he co-teaches a course on emerging tech, law and policy. A TEDx speaker, he has authored a book on cyber laws published by LexisNexis. Previously, Anirudh worked with a leading multinational law firm in their Singapore offices. Anirudh likes to go on cross-country motorcycle trips when he can and learns to play the drums.

 Reach Anirudh at anirudh@ikigailaw.com

Nehaa heads Ikigai’s advisory and public policy practice. She helps clients understand, strategize for, and navigate India’s regulatory and policy ecosystem. Per The Legal 500, Nehaa is one of India’s best data protection lawyers, ranked ‘Leading Individual’ for several consecutive years, and recognised for her TMT and aviation work as well. She is also a Chambers and Partners ranked TMT lawyer. Earlier, Nehaa worked with the Centre for Internet and Society, India (CIS), and the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. At CIS, she was the only Indian civil society representative in copyright and broadcast treaty negotiations at the WIPO, and wrote on intellectual property rights for UNESCO. Nehaa enjoys teaching, and has taught at NALSAR- Hyderabad, NLU- Delhi, and IIM-Indore. She has regularly writes for academic and media publications, is oft-quoted by the press and on television news, and speaks at events around the world. Nehaa is learning pottery, and loves to swim.

Reach Nehaa at nehaa@ikigailaw.com

Sreenidhi leads the firm’s data practice, advising the world’s leading technology companies, startups, premier industry bodies, VC funds and several others, on data governance. She is recognised as a go-to lawyer for data protection by The Legal 500 and was a finalist for the ALB India Law Award 2022 for India’s best data protection lawyer. Sreenidhi is a dual qualified lawyer (New York and India), and has extensive experience engaging with technology laws in the US, the EU and other regions. Before Ikigai, Sreenidhi has worked at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy advising government ministries and at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business as research faculty. She speaks regularly at panels and to the media, and has published widely in leading publications like TOI and Quartz, and academic journals. Sreenidhi is an amateur film critic, with a passion for speculative fiction.

Reach Sreenidhi at sreenidhi@ikigailaw.com

Vijayant specialises in cybersecurity, data, cloud, telecom, and related sectors. He provides end-to-end strategic policy and advisory support to large-scale technology companies, start-ups, industry associations, and VC funds. He also advises on cross-jurisdictional matters – including on data, cybersecurity, and cloud-focused regulations of the EU, USA, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh. He led the drafting of a whitepaper for the Data Security Council of India, which offers recommendations for a balanced encryption policy in India. He also contributed to the drafting of a first-of-its-kind report on India’s gaming ecosystem and regulatory environment. Before Ikigai, he was a litigating lawyer, and was part of a team that successfully argued for a fundamental right to privacy before the Supreme Court of India. His writing has been featured in the Quint, Inc42, and YourStory. His views on cybersecurity have been quoted by Medianama. Vijayant is also a part-time DJ, loves travelling, and swimming.

Reach Vijayant at vijayant@ikigailaw.com

Alok is a valued member of Ikigai’s Accounts and Operations Team, where he oversees the firm’s accounting functions with precision and dedication. A commerce graduate based in Delhi, he combines his analytical mindset with a passion for continuous learning, always seeking new perspectives in both work and life.

Outside the world of finance and numbers, he is an avid cricket enthusiast—whether playing with friends or catching every major match on TV. He also enjoys watching web series and thought-provoking documentaries, finding inspiration and fresh ideas beyond the spreadsheets.

Meghana manages growth and partnerships at Ikigai. She is passionate about all things tech, particularly AI and enjoys working at the intersection of product, market and policy. Previously, she was a fellow at People+AI, leading diverse teams of engineers, domain experts and market researchers to build AI solutions, and mapping India’s health AI landscape while supporting startups.

Outside work, she enjoys reading and discussing politics, watching crime documentaries, and exploring Bangalore’s parks.

Vidhi is a technology and media lawyer at Ikigai. She advises on online gaming, data protection, platform regulation and commercial transactions. She has worked on landmark litigations that have shaped India’s tech and media law, and on policy and self-regulation for emerging digital sectors. Before joining Ikigai, Vidhi worked at leading law firms, gaining experience across regulatory, disputes and transactional matters.