Shanti Bhushan
Encyclopedia
Shanti Bhushan (born 11 November 1925) in Allahabad
, United Provinces
is a former Law Minister of India at Ministry of Law and Justice
(1977–1979) in the Morarji Desai Ministry
and also a senior advocate. He along with his son Prashant Bhushan
was featured at 74th position in a list of the most powerful Indians published by The Indian Express
in 2009.
party and later the Janata Party
. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha
from 14 July 1977 to 2 April 1980 and the Union Law minister in the Morarji Desai
ministry from 1977 to 1979. He joined the Bhartiya Janata Party in 1980. In 1986, he resigned from BJP after the party acted against his advice over an election petition.
As the then Law Minister, he introduced the Lokpal bill in 1977. However, it did not pass because of the collapse of the government. He is presently co-chairman of the joint committee constituted in April 2011 for the Jan Lokpal Bill
.
has been involved in accountability of the Indian Judiciary by setting up Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reform (CJAR).
The campaign has been responsible for action against the judicial misconduct of Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal and for the declaration of assets by the judges.
The campaign had also protested against the actions and appointments of Justice S. Ashok Kumar, Madan Mohan Punchhi
, Soumitra Sen
and Ashwini Kumar Mata.
The father-son duo are currently facing contempt of court at Supreme Court of India for their statement about corruption in higher judiciary specifically, former chief justices of Supreme Court.
During a hearing on the running case for contempt of court in November 2010, Shanti Bhushan went on to say:
His son Prashant Bhushan was attacked for his comments on 'Azad Kashmir' by some activists belonging to the Bhaghat Singh Kranti Sena.
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, United Provinces
United Provinces
United Provinces may refer to:* United Provinces, another name for the Dutch Republic , now The Netherlands* United Provinces of Agra and Oudh , a former province of British India; now Uttar Pradesh...
is a former Law Minister of India at Ministry of Law and Justice
Ministry of Law and Justice (India)
The Ministry of Law and Justice is a prominent Ministry of Government of India. Under the , the Ministry is vested with the responsibility of administration of legal affairs, justice, and legislative affairs in India....
(1977–1979) in the Morarji Desai Ministry
Morarji Desai Ministry
Morarji Desai was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 24 March 1977. Here is the list of ministers in his ministry with portfolios.- Cabinet ministers :*Morarji Desai-Prime Minister*Charan Singh-Deputy Prime Minister of India-Home...
and also a senior advocate. He along with his son Prashant Bhushan
Prashant Bhushan
Prashant Bhushan is an advocate practicing in Delhi and is a social activist. He is the son of lawyer and former Law Minister of India Shanti Bhushan.-Education:...
was featured at 74th position in a list of the most powerful Indians published by The Indian Express
The Indian Express
The Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is published in Mumbai by Indian Express Group. After Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split in 1999 among his family members into two with the southern editions taking the name The New Indian Express, while the old...
in 2009.
Political career
Bhushan was an active member of Congress (O)Indian National Congress (Organisation)
The Indian National Congress or Congress was a political party in India formed when Indira Gandhi broke away from the leadership of the Congress Party...
party and later the Janata Party
Janata Party
The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
from 14 July 1977 to 2 April 1980 and the Union Law minister in the Morarji Desai
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and the fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977–79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress...
ministry from 1977 to 1979. He joined the Bhartiya Janata Party in 1980. In 1986, he resigned from BJP after the party acted against his advice over an election petition.
As the then Law Minister, he introduced the Lokpal bill in 1977. However, it did not pass because of the collapse of the government. He is presently co-chairman of the joint committee constituted in April 2011 for the Jan Lokpal Bill
Jan Lokpal Bill
The Jan Lokpal Bill, also referred to as the citizens' ombudsman bill, is a proposed independent anti-corruption law in India. Anti-corruption social activists proposed it as a more effective improvement to the original Lokpal bill, which is currently being proposed by the Government of India.The...
.
Prominent cases and clients
- Bhushan represented Raj NarainRaj NarainRaj Narain was an Indian politician who, as a candidate of Janata Party for the Lok Sabha in 1977, ran for office in Rae Bareli constituency and defeated Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India...
in a case against Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of IndiaPrime Minister of IndiaThe Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
. Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha judged Indira Gandhi guilty and declared her election to the Lok SabhaLok SabhaThe Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
void. The decision resulted in wide spread political protests and ultimately resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency in India. - In 1994, he appeared for two of the defendants accused of participating in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case.
- In 2002, he appeared as a counsel for Arundhati RoyArundhati RoyArundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
in a contempt case against her in the Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of IndiaThe Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
. - Bhushan represented Shaukat Hussain Guru in 2008 for an appeal against his 10 year conviction for his role in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack2001 Indian Parliament attackThe 2001 Indian Parliament attack was a high-profile attack by Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists against the building housing the Parliament of India in New Delhi...
. - Bhushan appeared as senior counsel for Transparency International in the Provident Fund scandal case of Ghaziabad, which allegedly involved several judges of the Indian judiciary. The bench abandoned the hearing after deeming his remarks as contemptuous and termed his behavior as that of a street urchin.
- Shanti Bhushan was the counsel for the former Prime Minister of India H. D. Deve GowdaH. D. Deve GowdaHaradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda was the 11th Prime Minister of India and the 14th chief minister of the state of Karnataka ....
in a petition related to allocation of land for Bangalore - Mysore Infrastructure CorridorBangalore - Mysore Infrastructure CorridorBangalore – Mysore Infrastructure Corridor also called NICE road is a 4 to 6 lane private tolled expressway that connects the two important cities of Bengaluru and Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka...
. - He has represented Rajendra Singh LodhaRajendra Singh LodhaRajendra Singh Lodha , popularly known as R. S. Lodha, was an Indian chartered accountant and the chairman of the Birla Corporation....
regarding the assets of Birla CorporationBirla CorporationBirla Corporation Limited, popularly known as Birla Corp is an Indian company based in Kolkata. It is the flagship company of the M P Birla group of companies....
. - He represented V.S.AchuthanandanV. S. AchuthanandanVelikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of the state of Kerala. He had been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India since 1985, and until July 2009, when he was reverted to the Central Committee of the party owing to his...
in the Supreme Court in the Idamalayar Dam corruption case against UDFUnited Democratic Front (India)United Democratic Front is an alliance of political parties of Kerala state in India. This alliance is led by the Indian National Congress....
leader R.Balakrishna Pillai and others. The bench awarded rigorous imprisonment for one year with fine of Rs. 10,000/- each to the accused persons.
Activism
Shanti Bhushan, along with his son Prashant BhushanPrashant Bhushan
Prashant Bhushan is an advocate practicing in Delhi and is a social activist. He is the son of lawyer and former Law Minister of India Shanti Bhushan.-Education:...
has been involved in accountability of the Indian Judiciary by setting up Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reform (CJAR).
The campaign has been responsible for action against the judicial misconduct of Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal and for the declaration of assets by the judges.
The campaign had also protested against the actions and appointments of Justice S. Ashok Kumar, Madan Mohan Punchhi
Madan Mohan Punchhi
Madan Mohan Punchhi was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India from 18-January-1998 until his retirement on 9-October-1998....
, Soumitra Sen
Soumitra Sen
Soumitra Sen is a retired judge of the Calcutta High Court. He was the first judge in independent India to be impeached in India's Rajya Sabha for misappropriation of funds.-History:...
and Ashwini Kumar Mata.
The father-son duo are currently facing contempt of court at Supreme Court of India for their statement about corruption in higher judiciary specifically, former chief justices of Supreme Court.
During a hearing on the running case for contempt of court in November 2010, Shanti Bhushan went on to say:
His son Prashant Bhushan was attacked for his comments on 'Azad Kashmir' by some activists belonging to the Bhaghat Singh Kranti Sena.