Sheila Kaul

Sheila Kaul
Personal details
Born 7 February 1915
Nationality Indian
Political party Indian National Congress
Profession politician, social worker, social reformer, educationist

Sheila Kaul (born 7 February 1915[1] or 1914[2][3]) is a social democratic leader of the Indian National Congress, a former stateswoman, cabinet minister and governor, and the oldest living former member of parliament in India.[1][2][3] She was also an educationist, social worker, and social reformer in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and an independence activist in British India. She is Jawaharlal Nehru's sister-in-law and Indira Gandhi's maternal aunt.[4]

Personal life

Sheila Kaul has a degree in arts from the Lahore Women's College and a degree in teaching from the Sir Ganga Ram Training College, Lahore.[1] She was a State Badminton Champion in the pre-Partition Punjab.

She was married to Kailas Nath Kaul,[1] a renowned botanist who established the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow, India. Gautam Kaul, a former Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police[5] and film critic,[6] and Vikram Kaul, an international sports administrator,[7] are their sons. Deepa Kaul, a social worker and former Congress minister, is their daughter. Jawaharlal Nehru was Sheila Kaul's brother-in-law, Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was her niece, and Rajiv Gandhi was her grandnephew. Prem Adib, a 1940s Bollywood superstar, was Sheila Kaul's brother-in-law.

Political career

Sheila Kaul was Corporator of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation during 1959–65, and a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council during 1968–71. She was elected as Member of Parliament five times – in 1971, 1980 and 1984 from Lucknow, and in 1989 and 1991 from Rae Bareli. She served as a Minister in the Cabinet of India during 1980–84 and 1991–95, and as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh during 1995–96.[1]

Kaul led the Indian delegations to the International Women's Congress, Berlin in 1975, the International Conference of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Copenhagen in 1980, the International Conference on the Role of Culture for Development of Man and Society, Sofia in 1980, the Sessions of General Conference of the UNESCO, Paris in 1982 and 1983, the First Conference of Ministers of Education and Culture of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries, Pyongyang in 1983, the International Conference on Education, Geneva in 1984, the United Nations General Assembly in 1985 and 1987, and the European Parliament in 1990. She became General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee in 1988.[1]

Kaul introduced in the Parliament of India The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Bill, 1991, which was enacted in 1992.[8][9] She also moved in Parliament the AMU (Amendment) Bill, 1981, which was enacted in the same year.[10] While in Parliament, she served as a member of the Committee on Public Undertakings (1980–84), Committee on Privileges (1980–84), Joint Committee on Taxation (Amendment) Bill (1980–84), Consultative Committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation (1990), and Subject Committee on Science and Technology (1990).[1]

A chargesheet based on a case of 1996 accused the former Union Urban Development Minister of entering into a conspiracy with her two personal staff members and over forty other individuals for allegedly renting out government shops for a consideration.[11] The CBI, however, did not seize any assets disproportionate to her income, implying that there was no evidence of corruption.[12] Without holding a trial or providing Kaul with an opportunity to defend herself,[13] the Supreme Court of India in 1996 imposed an exemplary fine of ₹ 6 million on Kaul for having nepotistically rented out 52 shops and kiosks under the discretionary quota.[14] In 2002, the fine was quashed by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of India in response to a review petition filed by Kaul.[15] Kaul, the accused, had been deprived of her right to a trial in a Sessions Court, and also the right to file an appeal against a conviction order, if any, before the High Court and ultimately before the Supreme Court.[13] In 2013, the 99-year-old Kaul moved the Supreme Court of India, challenging the 2012 order of a CBI Special Judge that asked her to appear in court in an ambulance to respond to the charges of out-of-turn allotments against her.[16] Kaul's counsel contended that she was incapable of giving rational answers or making a personal appearance due to her old age and ailments. They argued that the High Court had earlier dismissed Kaul's relief plea despite a medical board of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences reporting in 2012 that she had an "impaired" understanding of day-to-day events.[16]

Positions held[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Members Bioprofile". 164.100.47.132. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Sheila Kaul is 101". 7 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sheila Kaul, the Grand old Lady, turns 101". 7 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Gandhi, Sonia (2004). Two Alone, Two Together: Letters Between Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru 1922–1964. Penguin. p. xxi. ISBN 9780143032458.
  5. ↑ "Pt.Gautam Kaul". Delhigovt.nic.in. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "Kaul Nominated As Member of Sport Cinema Commission of IOA". Tugofwarindia.gov.in. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "India Empire". India Empire. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "The Constitution (Amendment)". Indiacode.nic.in. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  9. ↑ http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/ls10/ses5/23011292.htm
  10. ↑ "Defining moment". Frontline.in. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  11. ↑ The Hindu : Sheila Kaul chargesheeted
  12. ↑ President's comments send corruption cases back to cold storage
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Palushkar VG. "Judicial Activism". The Law Review GLC 7: 56–67. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47549596/JUDICIAL-ACTIVISM-Justice-Mr-V-G-Palshikar-(Retd)
  14. ↑ "'Supreme Court appears to have struck yet another blow for executive accountability' : EDITOR'S NOTE – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 30 November 1996. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "SC waives damages imposed on Sheila Kaul". The Hindu. 20 February 2002. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "At 99, fight against ambulance summons". Telegraphindia.com. 6 April 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO". Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Former Ministers, Ministry of Human Resource Development". Retrieved 28 October 2014.

Further reading