Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee
Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee (1895–1971) was an Indian jurist who served as president of the All-India Hindu Mahasabha.[1]
Early life and education
He was born on 19 October 1895 in Boinchee, in the Hooghly district to Bholanath Chatterjee. He was educated at the South Suburban School, the Mitra Institution, St. Mary's School, all in Calcutta, before graduating from the Scottish Church College. Subsequently he studied law at the University Law College of the University of Calcutta, before proceeding on to the Middle Temple, London, and subsequently finishing his academic pursuit at the University College, London.[1]
Career
He started out as a senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India. He went on to be a judge at the Calcutta High Court. Later he became the vice president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and treasurer of the Bar Association of India. He had also served as a president of the All India Civil Liberties Council, and as vice president of the International Commission of Jurists - Indian Branch.[1]
He became the President of All India Hindu Mahasabha and presided over its[2] Gwalior session in 1947.But after partician and assaassination of Mahatma Gandhi, he somewhat disenchent with party politics.Towards the end of 1947 and early 1948, he felt ill quite frequently and months could not attend his proffessional work.Doctors advised him that because of the serious attack of epidemic dropsy, he would not be able to lead an active life anymore.At this time,he got an offer for appointment as a Judge of Culcutta High court and he agreed to accept.
He was also a member of the Special Committee on Tibet of the International Commission of Jurists, and a chairman of the Subordinate Legislation Committee of Parliament. He represented India at the Commonwealth Law Conference held in London in 1955. He was a deputy leader of the Indian Lawyers Delegation to the USSR in 1959, and represented India at the International Bar Conference at Salzburg in Austria in 1960 and Commonwealth Law Conference held at Sydney in 1966. He was counsel for India at the Kutch International Tribunal in Geneva.[1]
He was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha (1952-1957) from Hooghly as a Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha candidate, 3rd Lok Sabha after he won a bye-poll in 1963 as an independent from Burdwan with CPI support and 4th Lok Sabha (1967-1971) when he won again from Burdwan as an independent. He died in 1971. The Burdwan seat was won by his son Somnath Chatterjee in 1971 general election, as a Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate.
Family
He married Binapani Devi on 30 May 1915, and later became the father of the Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee, a fiercely anti-Hindutva communist leader from Bengal who served as the 14th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.
Books written by him
- Company Law
- Awakening of India
- Problems of Jammu and Kashmir
- Comparative Jurisprudence
- Indian Constitutional Law
- Fundamental Rights and Judicial Review
- Emergency and Law[1]
Other works
- Monographs and articles on historical, legal and constitutional topics
- Paper on 'Nationality' at International legal Conference in Delhi in January, 1954
- Studies in history, political science, economics, Indology, comparative politics and international law and travelling
- Social activities by helping depressed classes and Harijans, championing civil liberties and rule of law.[1]
Sports and hobbies
- Gardening
- President, Bhawanipur Club
- Member, Chelmsford Club Delhi and Calcutta Club.[1]
References
Keeping the faith-Memories of a Parlimentarian by Somnath Chatterjee
External links
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