Swaraj Kaushal (born 12 July 1952) is an Indian criminal lawyer practising in New Delhi. He was designated as a senior advocate by the Supreme Court of India at age 34, and he became the Governor of Mizoram at the age of 37, serving between 1990 and 1993.[1]

Swaraj Kaushal
Official portrait, 1998
3rd Governor of Mizoram
In office
8 February 1990 – 9 February 1993
Chief MinisterLal Thanhawla
Preceded byWilliamson A. Sangma
Succeeded byPaty Ripple Kyndiah
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
1998–2004
ConstituencyHaryana
Advocate General of Mizoram
In office
1987–1990
Personal details
Born (1952-07-12) 12 July 1952 (age 72)
Solan, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, India
(present-day Himachal Pradesh)
Political partyHaryana Vikas Party
Spouse
(m. 1975; died 2019)
ChildrenBansuri Swaraj (daughter)
Alma materDelhi University
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • politician

Early life

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Swaraj Kaushal was born to Madan Lal and Lajyawati on 12 July 1952 in Solan, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (present-day Himachal Pradesh). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from D.A.V. School, Chandigarh and completed LLB from Faculty of Laws, Panjab University, Chandigarh.[2]

Career

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During the Emergency of 1975–77, he defended socialist leader George Fernandes in the famous Baroda dynamite case. He secured release of the underground Mizo leader, Laldenga, in the conspiracy trial in 1979.[3] Thereafter, he was the constitutional adviser to the underground Mizo National Front during negotiations with Government of India. Many years of negotiations resulted in the signing of Mizoram Peace Accord, which he helped write on 30 June 1986, which ended 20 years of insurgency. He was appointed the first Advocate General of Mizoram, the state's premier legal officer in 1987 at the age of 34.[4] He was the youngest-ever advocate general in the country. He is an expert on India's northeast region and its insurgency problem.[5]

He was designated as a senior advocate by Supreme Court of India on 20 December 1986 at the age of 34, a notable achievement in the legal profession.[6]

Governor of Mizoram

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He was the Governor of Mizoram from 8 February 1990 to 9 February 1993.[1]

Member of Parliament

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He was a member of parliament between 1998 and 2004 as a member of the Haryana Vikas Party, representing the state of Haryana. During 1998-99 and 2000–2004, he was a member of Rajya Sabha.[2]

Personal life

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He married Sushma Swaraj on 13 July 1975. Their only child, Bansuri Swaraj, is a graduate from Oxford University and a barrister from Inner Temple. On 6 August 2019, Sushma Swaraj died of a cardiac arrest at AIIMS Delhi following a heart attack in the evening.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Criminal Lawyer by Profession, Daughter Bansuri Swaraj Was by Sushma's Side When Minister Breathed Her Last". News18. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Rajya Sabha Former Members Search". Rajya Sabha Secretariat. Retrieved 10 July 2022. The website doesn't provide a direct link. So it can be navigated to the biography page by typing "Swaraj Kaushal" in the search bar
  3. ^ Making of Mizoram by Suhas Chatterjee
  4. ^ Chaturvedi, Rakesh Mohan (15 June 2015). "Swaraj Kaushal: Sushma Swaraj's achilles heel or her pillar of strength?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Rediff On The NeT: Swaraj Kaushal to hold talks with NSCN (I-M)". Rediff.com. 2 May 1998. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Supreme Court of India" (PDF). www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Sushma Swaraj, Former Foreign Minister and BJP Stalwart, Passes Away at 67 After Heart Attack". News18. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Sushma Swaraj passes away at 67". India Today. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.