Sethi grew up in Virginia. His parents are Sikhs originally from India. His family was one of the founding Sikh family in Virginia. Sethi received his B.S. from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 2003 and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2008. Sethi previously worked as an attorney with the international law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington D.C., and as the legislative counsel/policy advisor with the ACLU, also in Washington, D.C. He has represented victims of domestic violence, asylum seekers, national security detainees, and criminal defendants on death row.
Writing
Sethi is, according to CNN, "a frequent commentator on civil rights and social justice-related issues." The New York Times reports that he specializes in "counterterrorism and law enforcement," and he has been invited by the government to preview and assess numerous intelligence and law enforcement programs prior to launch. He is considered a subject-matter expert on racial and religious profiling. His essays on these subjects have appeared in The Washington Post,The Los Angeles Times,Politico Magazine, and in CNN. The Center for American Progress has recognized his work on these issues, noting that in "debates on national security, he has called out actions that stigmatize innocent groups, fan the flames of Islamophobia, and harm Muslim, Arab, and Sikh Americans." His articles have appeared in Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera America,The Christian Science Monitor, CNN, The Guardian, The Huffington Post,The Los Angeles Times, Politico Magazine, USA Today, and The Washington Post. On September 6, 2019, Sethi co-authored an op-ed, "The Gates Foundation Shouldn't Give An Award to Narenda Modi." The article was later cited by outlets across the world in connection with a global campaign calling upon The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to rescind its award to Prime Minister Modi.
On December 3, 2015, Al Jazeera America published Sethi's article, "Saudi Arabia Uses Terrorism As An Excuse For Human Rights Abuses." On December 18, 2015, The Intercept reported that the corporate headquarters of Al Jazeera had blocked access to the article, noting that the network had "told local press that it did not intend to offend Saudi Arabia or any other state ally, and would remove the piece." The Intercept republished Sethi's article in full. The censorship was covered by The Independent, The Times of India, Gawker, Jadaliyya, and other media outlets.
