Khan Bahadur Sir Muhammad Habibullah
KCSI KCIE (22 September 1869 – 16 May 1948) was an Indian politician and administrator who served as the
Dewan of
Travancore from 1934 to 1936.
Personal life
Habibullah was born in Madras (now
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Tamil Nadu, the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and territories of India, Indian state. The largest city ...
) to Aushukh Hussain Khan Saheb on 22 September 1869.
He was a member of the Arcot royal family and closely related to the
Nawabs of Arcot
The Carnatic Sultanate was a kingdom in South India between about 1690 and 1855, and was under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their demise. They initially had their capital at Arcot in the present-day Indian state of Tamil N ...
.
He studied law at Zila High School in
Saidapet
Saidapet, also known as Saidai, is a neighbourhood in Chennai, India, situated in the northern banks of the Adyar River and serves as an entry point to Central Chennai. It is surrounded by West Mambalam in the North, C.I.T Nagar in the North ...
and joined the bar at
Vellore in July 1888.
He was married to Sadathunissa Begum.
Early political career
Habibullah was involved in local commerce politics and was elected honorary chairman of the Vellore municipality in 1895. He resigned from his legal practice upon being elected official secretary in September 1901, and served in that role until September 1905. He was then elected chairman, a position he held for 14 years (1905–1919). From July 1919 to January 1920, he was a member of the executive council of the Governor of Madras while
P. Rajagopalachari
Diwan Bahadur Sir Perungavur Rajagopalachari, KCSI, CIE (18 March 1862 – 1 December 1927), also spelt in contemporary records as Sir P. Rajagopala Achariyar, was an Indian administrator. He was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Cochin State fr ...
was on leave.
In 1919, Habibullah was India's delegate to the first session of the
League of Nations.
On 17 December 1920, he was appointed to the Governor's Executive Council for the
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
as the member for revenue, a post he held until 27 December 1924.
From 1925 to 1930, he was a member of the Executive Council of the
Viceroy of India.
He also led India's delegation to South Africa from 1926 to 1927.
Dewan of Travancore
Habibullah was appointed Dewan of Travancore by
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma
Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma , popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal, was the last ruling Maharaja of the Princely State of Travancore, in southern India until 1949 and later the Titular Maharajah of Travanco ...
, the
Maharaja of Travancore, on 15 March 1934, and remained in office for two years. During that time, many reforms were implemented in Travancore, particularly in its electoral system, state forces (the
Nair Brigade
The Nair Brigade was the army of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore in India. Nairs were a warrior community of the region. The personal bodyguard of the king Marthanda Varma (1706–1758) was also called ''Thiruvithamkoor Nair Pattalam'' ...
) and civil services.
Immediately after taking office, he appointed a committee to determine the appropriate electoral representation for the state's various communities. Specific numbers of legislative seats were reserved for Christians,
Ezhava
The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...
s and
Muslims. However, because of objections by the
Nairs—the military caste of Travancore—the issue was not resolved and was reopened in 1939.
In 1935, Habibullah appointed a public service commissioner. This was a new post in the civil services of Travancore, without caste or religious limitations. That same year, the Pallivasal Hydroelectric Scheme was created, allowing the production of electricity in Travancore on a large, profitable scale.
His next major activity concerned the Nair Brigade. In 1936, Travancore joined the
Indian State Forces
The Imperial Service Troops were forces raised by the princely states of the British Indian Empire. These troops were available for service alongside the Indian Army when such service was requested by the British government. At the beginning of ...
, and the Nair Brigade and the Maharaja's Bodyguard came to be known collectively as the Travancore State Forces. At first, only Nairs were allowed to join, but legislation later opened military service to other castes as well. The maharaja himself was the colonel-in-chief of the forces.
[Travancore State Manual Volume II by TK Velu Pillai 1940]
Habibullah retired in 1936 and was succeeded by Sir
C.P. Ramaswami Iyer
Sir Chetput Pattabhiraman Ramaswami Iyer (12 November 1879 – 26 September 1966), popularly known as Sir C. P., was an Indian lawyer, administrator and politician who served as the Advocate-General of Madras Presidency from 1920 to 1923, Law m ...
. He died in Travancore on 16 May 1948.
Honours
Habibullah was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur by the Indian government in 1905.
He was made a
Companion of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
#Knight Grand Commander (GCIE)
#Knight Commander ( KCIE)
#Companion ( CIE)
No appoi ...
in 1920 and a
Knight Bachelor in 1922.
In 1924, he was made a
Knight Commander of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
and promoted from a Companion of the Indian Empire to a Knight Commander of the Indian Empire.
Habibullah Road Habibullah also spelled Habib Ullah, Habibollah, Habeeb-Allah etc. ( ar, حَبِيْبَُ ٱلله), is a male Muslim given name meaning in ''Beloved of God'', stemming from the male form of the name Habib. It may refer to:
People
*Raja Sir Ch ...
in
T. Nagar
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the Ea ...
, Chennai, is named after him.
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habibullah, Muhammad
1869 births
1948 deaths
Diwans of Travancore
Indian knights
Knights Bachelor
Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India
Members of the Council of the Governor General of India