Who is Arun Subramanian? Details about the Indian-origin judge who sentenced Diddy to prison

Arun Srinivas Subramanian, an Indian-origin judge sentenced Sean 'Diddy' Combs to more than four years in prison on October 3, 2025. Diddy was convicted of charges related to prostitution after a long, drawn court battle.

Arun Subramanian is the first South Asian judge who has been appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

More about Judge Arun Subramanian

Arun Srinivas Subramanian was born to Indian immigrant parents in 1979 in Pennsylvania. His mother worked as a bookkeeper while his father was a control systems engineer.

Arun Subramanian earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University and the Juris Doctor degree (JD) from Columbia Law School, in 2004. Here, he was the James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

Arun worked under Judge Dennis Jacobs at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then under Judge Gerard E Lynch at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Following his clerical journey, he clerked under none other than the legendary US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In 2007, Arun Subramanian joined Susman Godfrey LLP, eventually becoming a partner. He worked at the New York law firm until 2023. During his law career, Arun has represented victims of child pornography trafficking amidst other cases and was known for his pro bono service. He even served on the pro bono panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

During his illustrious career, Arun Subramanian was even nominated by former US President Joe Biden for a federal judgeship in 2022 which was then confirmed in 2023.

Drawing an end to the high-profile case of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, judge Arun Subramanian meted out a 50-month prison sentence to the rapper. Additionally, he fined Diddy a whopping $500,000 fine on Combs.

Before the sentencing, the judge reportedly asked Diddy, "Why did it happen so long? Because you had the power and the resources to keep it going, and because you weren’t caught".

Diddy's sentencing comes after a prolonged trial following serious allegations levelled against him by his ex-girlfriend and other women.

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