Kailash Nath Katju (17 June 1887 – 17 February 1968) was a prominent politician of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He was the Governor of

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, the Chief Minister of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

, the Union Home Minister and the Union Defence Minister. He was also one of India's most prominent lawyers. He was part of some of the most notable cases of his times, including the Indian National Army trials. Katju joined the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

early on and spent several years incarcerated with fellow independence activists for his activities.

Early life

Kailash Nath Katju was born in the princely state of

Jaora Jaora is a city and a municipality in Ratlam district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Jaora is located in the Malwa region, between Ratlam and Mandsaur. It was the capital of the Jaora princely state of Jaora before Independence. During ...

(in present-day

) on 17 June 1887. His family were

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region l ...

s who had settled in Jaora. His father Tribhuwan Nath Katju was a former

dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

of the state. Kailash Nath was educated at the Barr High School in Jaora, when he was sent to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

to study at the Rangmahal High School. He passed his matriculation examination from

Panjab University Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...

the following year before completing his graduation from

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum. Founded in 1864 by America ...

, Lahore, in March 1905. In July that year, he joined the

Muir Central College Muir Central College in Allahabad in northern India was a college of higher education founded by William Muir in 1872. It had a separate existence to 1921, when as a result of the Allahabad University Act it was merged into Allahabad University. ...

in Allahabad. In September 1907, he received a degree in laws from the

Allahabad University , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

, standing second in the province. In 1908, he received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in history from the same university. He began legal profession that year in Kanpur before moving to Allahabad in 1914. He completed his doctorate in law, the

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from Allahabad University in 1919, joining the Allahabad High Court as an advocate in 1921.

Career

Katju defended the accused in the

Meerut Conspiracy Case The Meerut Conspiracy Case was a controversial court case that was initiated in British Raj in March 1929 and decided in 1933. Several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organizing an Indian railway strike. The Bri ...

in Allahabad High Court in 1933 and later the military officers accused at the Indian National Army trials at the

Red Fort The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift ...

in Delhi. On 17 July 1937, he became the Minister of Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of the United Provinces in the

Govind Ballabh Pant Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961) was an Indian freedom fighter and the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel, Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pant was a key figure i ...

's cabinet. He was elected to the legislature from the constituency of Allahabad district (Doaba). The ministry resigned on 2 November 1939 and soon Katju was imprisoned for 18 months. He was again imprisoned in 1942. He also served in the

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

. Between 1935 and 1937, he served as the chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Board, and later as chancellor of Prayag Mahila Vidyapith, Allahabad. Following the independence of India, Katju held many high political positions. Initially he was made the Governor of Orissa from 15 August 1947 to 20 June 1948. He became the

Governor of West Bengal The Governor of West Bengal is the nominal head of state of the Indian state of West Bengal and a representative of the President of India. The governor is appointed by the president for a term of five years. His official residence is the Raj ...

on 21 June 1948 and was in office till 31 October 1951. In 1951 he was elected to the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

from the

Mandsaur Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Temple is l ...

constituency, joining the cabinet of

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

as Law Minister in 1951. In November 1951 he succeeded

C. Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and independence activis ...

as the country's third

Home Minister The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minist ...

. In 1955 he was made the Defence Minister. He became the Chief Minister of

on 31 January 1957, remaining in office till 11 March 1962. He also held the portfolios for general administration, home, publicity, planning and development, co-ordination and anti-corruption.

Personal life

Katju and his wife Rup Kishori had five children together: three sons and two daughters. The eldest son,

Shiva Nath Katju Shiva Nath Katju (5 January 1910 – 9 September 1996) was an Indian lawyer, judge and an Indian National Congress politician. He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (1952–1957) and the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (195 ...

, served as a judge at the Allahabad High Court, and after retirement, took up politics and was elected a member of the

Uttar Pradesh legislature The Uttar Pradesh Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The Legislature is composed of: *the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, *the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, the upper house and *the Uttar Pradesh Legis ...

. Another son, Brahma Nath Katju, rose to serve as chief justice of the same Allahabad High Court. Katju's grandsons have also achieved distinction. His grandson Markandey (son of Shiv Nath) served as a judge in the Supreme Court of India. Another grandson is Vivek Katju, IFS, a retired diplomat who served in several sensitive positions. Tilottama Mukherji, a professor at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

and first wife of politician and former diplomat

Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (; ; born 9 March 1956 in London, England ) is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat and politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, ...

, is Katju's grand-daughter (daughter's daughter). Katju had recovered from a

kidney ailment Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

he had suffered in the summer of 1967. After his condition deteriorated in early February 1968, he died at 7:55 p.m. ( IST) on 17 February 1968 at his residence in Allahabad. The last rites were performed by son Shiva Nath on the bank of the Ganges the following day.

Publications

Dr Kailash Nath Katju wrote many books, some of which are the following:: * Experiments in Advocacy: A Colossus in the Courts of Justice * The days I remember * Reminiscences and experiments in advocacy He also wrote many articles and delivered many memorable speeches, including the following: * Some Judges and Lawyers whom I knew * Speech delivered on 27 November 1966, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the High Court Building.

Founder of National Herald

He was one of the founders of Associated Journals Ltd. and one of the seven original subscribers of the Memorandum of Association of the company which published

National Herald The ''National Herald'' is an Indian newspaper published by The Associated Journals Ltd and owned by Young India Limited a company by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. It was founded by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938 as a t ...

and two other newspapers.AJL did not inform us or obtain approval for equity transfer, say shareholders
. Msn.com (30 September 2008). Retrieved on 2018-12-10. His shares were taken over by a company formed and closely held by Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi and two others in 2012. There is a legal case of criminal conspiracy in this regard against them in a court of law in Delhi.

References

External links

Dr Kailash Nath Katju- A Tribute, Delivered by Pt. Kanhaiya Lal Misra (the then Advocate General, Uttar Pradesh), on 19 February 1968 at the Full Court reference in the Chief Justice’s Court Room on the sad demise of Dr. K.N. Katju

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katju, Kailash Nath 1887 births 1968 deaths Indian National Army trials Kashmiri people Indian National Congress politicians People from Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh University of Allahabad alumni Governors of Odisha Governors of West Bengal Members of the Constituent Assembly of India India MPs 1952–1957 People from Ratlam district Madhya Pradesh MLAs 1957–1962 Indian independence activists from Madhya Pradesh Lok Sabha members from Madhya Bharat People from Mandsaur district Ministers of Internal Affairs of India Defence Ministers of India Law Ministers of India Members of the Cabinet of India People from Jaora Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Prisoners and detainees of British India