K. Parasaran
Kesava Parasaran | |
|---|---|
| File:K Parasaran.jpg | |
| MP of Rajya Sabha (Nominated) | |
| In office 29 June 2012 – 28 June 2018 | |
| Attorney General of India | |
| In office 9 August 1983 – 8 December 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi |
| Preceded by | L.N. Sinha |
| Succeeded by | Soli Sorabjee |
| Solicitor General of India | |
| In office 6 March 1980 – 8 August 1983 | |
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi |
| Preceded by | Soli Sorabjee |
| Succeeded by | Milon K. Banerji |
| Advocate General of Tamil Nadu | |
| In office 1976–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Govind Swaminadhan |
| Succeeded by | V. P. Raman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 October 1927 Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Spouse |
Shrimati Saroja Parasaran
(after 1949) |
| Children | Two daughters and three sons, including Mohan Parasaran |
| Parent(s) | Shri R. Kesava Aiyangar (father) Shrimati Ranganayaki (mother) |
| Education | B.A. (Economics), Presidency College, Chennai B.L., Law College, Madras |
| Occupation | |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan(2003), Padma Vibhushan(2011) |
Kesava Parasaran (born 9 October 1927) is a lawyer from India. He was Advocate General of Tamil Nadu during President's rule in 1976, Solicitor General of India under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then, Attorney General of India under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi between 1983 and 1989, till the end of Rajiv Gandhi's tenure. Parasaran was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2003 and Padma Vibhushan in the year 2011. In June 2012, he received a presidential nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's parliament, for a period of six years.[1][2] He is a member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. Initially, The Central Government in 2019 appointed him to lead the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Subsequently, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was appointed to lead the trust. The trust will oversee the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.[3]
Early life & education
Born in Srirangam district of Tamil Nadu, Parasaran is the son of Kesava Iyengar, a lawyer, and Shrimati Ranganayaki. While pursuing his BL (now, BA. LLB), he was awarded the Shri Justice C.V. Kumaraswami Sastri Sanskrit Medal and Justice Shri V. Bhashyam Iyengar Gold Medal in Hindu Law. During the Bar Council examination, he received the Justice Shri K.S. Krishnaswamy Iyengar Medal.[1]
Career
Parasaran began his legal practice before the Supreme Court in 1958. He defended the National Judicial Appointments Commission in 2014, as a member of the Rajya Sabha. In a career spanning over six decades, Parasaran is known for his contribution in the following landmark cases:
- Sabarimala case
In the Sabarimala case, Parasaran defended the Nair Service Society by arguing that the ban restricting the entry of menstruating women in the Sabarimala Temple is right. He recited paragraphs from the Ramayana to explain the concept of Naishtika Brahmacharya, that is, the celibate nature of the deity, Ayyappan.[4]
- Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case
His most important engagement has been to serve as the lead counsel for the Hindu side in the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case, whose arguments were concluded in the Supreme Court.
As reported, his dedication to the case can be inferred by the fact that every day he worked on every aspect of the case before the hearing began and well into the evening after it concluded.
He was assisted by a capable team of advocates namely, “V Yogeshwaran, Anirudh Sharma, Sridhar Pottaraju, Aditi Dani, Ashwin Kumar D S and Bhakti Vardhan Singh”.
Parasaran’s legal associates were awed by his energy and extensive memory, backed by his comprehensive but easy to understand research. Unlike Dhavan who rampaged in the court on the last day of the hearing, not once did Parasaran lose his cool during the duration of the case.
During the course of the hearing Parasaran argued that a historic wrong was committed by Babar 433 years ago when he constructed a Mosque at Lord Ram’s birthplace and it needed to corrected.
One of the most notable arguments by Parasaran in this case was, “Muslims can pray in any other mosque in Ayodhya. There are 55-60 mosques in Ayodhya alone. But, for Hindus this is the birth place of Lord Ram, which we cannot change”.
Another notable exchange during the proceedings was Parasaran asserting, “I will say once a temple always a temple”, in response to the Muslim side’s argument of “once a mosque, always a mosque”.
Despite intense rivalries in the courtroom, Parasaran did not shy away from being gracious with his opponents. After the conclusion of the hearing, he waited for 15 minutes for Rajeev Dhavan so that he could greet him.
Finally, it was Parasaran’s spiritual relationship with Lord Ram which powered him throughout the course of this case. And his blend of spirituality and legal knowledge is leading the the quest of Hindus to finally reclaim the Ram Janmabhoomi.
Personal life
In 1949, he married Saroja, and has three sons, Mohan Parasaran, who was Solicitor General of India during the Congress led UPA 2 Government, Balaji Parasaran, and Satish Parasaran and two daughters.[1][4]
Award
- Padma Bhushan (2003)[5]
- Padma Vibhushan (2011)[6]
- Most Eminent Senior Citizen (2019)[7]
- Shri Narayan Guru award (Swarajya award ) (2020)
References
- ^ a b c Roy, Debayan (18 October 2019). "Parasaran, the 'pitamah' of Indian lawyers got his wish when Ayodhya hearings ended". ThePrint. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "Meet K Parasaran, the 93-year-old Advocate For Hindus Whose Spiritual Connect With Ram Kept Him Going". News18. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "Ministry of Home Affairs notifies temple trust; RSS, VHP members kept out". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 5 February 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b "At 92, key face in Ayodhya case K Parasaran is a trusted voice of many governments". The Indian Express. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "K Parasaran, 'Pitamaha' of India Bar, emerges hero in Ayodhya land dispute case". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Parasaran, Vittal, Natarajan among Padma awardees". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 26 January 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "M Venkaiah Naidu presents Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award to K Parasaran | DD News". ddnews.gov.in. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
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