P. J. Kurien

P. J. Kurien
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 August 2012
Preceded by	K. Rahman Khan
Personal details
Born	(1941-03-30) 30 March 1941 Vennikulam, Travancore State (now Kerala, India)
Political party	Indian National Congress
Other political affiliations	United Progressive Alliance (2004–present)
Spouse(s)	Susan
Alma mater	St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry Government Science College, Rewa

Professor P. J. Kurien (Pallath Joseph Kurien) of Vennikulam, Kerala, is a political and social worker, teacher and educationist. Prof. Kurien has also been Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the Parliament of India) from 21 August 2012, where he sits as a member of the Indian National Congress party.^[1][2]

Early life

P. J. Kurien was born on 31 March 1941 to P. G. Joseph and Rachel Joseph in a Syrian Christian (Marthoma) family at Vennikulam in Tiruvalla, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala. He had his early education at St. Behanas High School, Vennikulam. For higher education, he attended St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, Kerala and at Government Science College, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. He was a professor of Physics at St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, when he entered politics.^[3]

Positions held

• 1980-84 Member, Seventh Lok Sabha.^[4]
• 1982-85 Member, Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
• 1982-88 Member, Marine Products Export Authority.
• 1984-89 Member, Eighth Lok Sabha.
• 1985-87 Member, Press Council of India.
• 1985-88 Member, Spices Board.
• 1987-89 Member, Executive, Congress Parliamentary Party [C.P.P.(I)],Member, House Committee,Member, Committee on Public Undertakings.
• 1989-91 Member, Ninth Lok Sabha, Chief Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party, Member of the Business Advisory Committee.
• 1990-91 Member, Committee on Environment and Forests,
• 1991-96 Member, Tenth Lok Sabha.
• 1991-93 Union Minister of State, Industry with additional charge of Commerce.
• 1992-93 Union Minister of State, Industry,(Department of Small Scale, Agro and Rural Industries) with additional charge of Commerce.
• 1993-96 Member, All India Council of Technical Education.
• 1994-98 Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• 1995-96 Union Minister of State, Non-Conventional Energy Sources.
• 1996-98 Member, Eleventh Lok Sabha, Member of the Business Advisory Committee.
• 1998-99 Member, Twelfth Lok Sabha, Chief Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party,Member, Business Advisory Committee,Jan.
• 2005 Elected to Rajya Sabha,July 2005 onwards Nominated to the Panel of Vice-Chairmen, Rajya Sabha (re-nominated on 21 July 2006,
• 22 April 2008, 1 August 2011 and 19 April 2012),Aug. 2005-May 2009 and Aug.
• 2009 - Aug - 2011 Member, Committee on Health and Family, Welfare.
• 2005 Aug onwards Member, General Purposes Committee.
• 2005 Dec - July 2006 Member, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table,July 2006 Re-elected to Rajya Sabha,Aug.
• 2006-May - 2009 Member, Committee on Water Resources,Sept.
• 2006-Oct - 2010 Sept Member, Rubber Board .
• 2006-Sept - 2009 May Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation.
• 2007-May - 2009 April Member, Committee on Public Accounts, 2008 onwards Chief Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party, Rajya Sabha.
• 2009 Aug onwards Member, Committee on Defence.
• 2009 Dec onwards Member, Committee on Commerce, Member, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram.
• 2009 Dec - July 2010 Member, Select Committee to examine the Commercial Division of High Courts Bill.
• 2009 April - 2010 Member, National Institutes of Technology (NIT) Council.
• 2010 Sept onwards Member, Business Advisory Committee,November 2010 onwards Member, Rubber Board.
• 2011 March onwards Member, JPC to examine matters relating to allocation and pricing of telecom licences and spectrum.
• 2012 Aug onwards Member, Committee of Privileges, Member, Committee on Rules, Chairman, Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), Chairman, Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of Rajya Sabha,Select Committee to examine the Commercial Division of High Courts Bill.
• 2012 August 21 onwards Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha (Upper house of Parliament).

Controversy

Sexual assault controversy

Prof. Kurien was alleged to be an accused in the Suryanelli rape case.^[5][6] The case involved the sexual assault and harassment of a 16-year-old Indian girl by at least 40 people. Dharmarajan, also accused in the case, spoke to a regional TV station about driving Kurien to the location where the victim alleges the rape occurred. He later retracted this statement.^[7] Dharmarajan has since been charged. Prof. Kurien has maintained his innocence and police investigations into the case have also deemed him innocent.^[8] There are speculations such as the alleged controversy against Prof. Kurien is politically motivated; and Prof. Kurien's political power led to his exoneration as well.^[9][10] There are four enquiries which exonerated Prof. Kurien, three enquiries were held under the Chief Ministership of Shri E.K. Nayanar, who himself used the allegation against Prof. Kurien during 1996 elections, and was also a respondent in the defamation case filed by Prof. Kurien. During these three enquiries, Prof. Kurien was only an opposition MP; Congress Party being out of power both at the Centre and in Kerala. Sessions Judge in his order held that the victim’s plea for inclusion of Mr. Kurien in the sex scandal case was not maintainable.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Other controversies

UK-based newspaper, The Independent, reported that the Indian government to put forward "comprehensive" legislation to criminalise marital rape and the minister of state for home affairs, Kiren Rijiju, laid out the government’s plans during a debate in the upper house of the Indian parliament, the Rajya Sabha. The Minister stated that the government will propose an amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after they have received reports from both the Law Commission and a parliamentary standing committee, according to the Times of India. The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, P J Kurien, responded “If you think that rape by a husband is a crime, then, why should the government wait for the report? Rape is a crime, you accept it; whether it is rape by a husband or any other person, it is equally a crime. You are tending to say that. But then, in that case, why do you wait for the report? That is the question.".^[15]

References

• http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/suryanelli-victims-plea-against-kurien-dismissed/article4863280.ece
• http://zeenews.india.com/news/kerala/suryanelli-sex-scandal-breather-for-pj-kurien-as-convict-retracts-claim_851672.html

External links

• Profile on Rajya Sabha website