Member of Rajya Sabha
NAME – Ashwani Kumar
PROFESSION– Politician and Attorney
BORN – 26th October, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH – Delhi
FATHER’S NAME – Probodh Chandra Kumar
MOTHER’S NAME – Urmila Devi
SPOUSE – Madhu Kumar
SIBLINGS – NA
CHILDREN – Kumar has two children (one son and one daughter)
EDUCATION –
Jawaharlal Nehru University (M.Phil – 1976)
Faculty of Law, Delhi University (LLB- 1975)
St. Stephens College, Delhi (B.A (History Honors) 1972)
POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS– Indian National Congress
OFFICIAL WEBSITE– www.ashwanikumar.info
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT– Kumar has represented India at the highest forums of diplomacy including the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council, and at the World Economic Forum. He is a senior advocate at the
Supreme Court and a former additional solicitor general of India, widely recognized for the intellectual depth of his writings and parliamentary interventions.
AWARDS – Kumar has been conferred by various awards such as: “Shri Guru Nanak Devji Achievers awards” by the Punjab Government, “Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun” by the Emperor of Japan and Honoris Causa in Law by the Punjab University. Ashwani Kumar is a lawyer and politician who has served as a member of parliament, Rajya Sabha representing the State of Punjab.
BACKGROUND – Mr. Kumar is an eminent lawyer who was appointed as the additional solicitor general of India by the Supreme Court in 1990. He was also designated as a senior advocate of the Supreme Court in 1986. He started his political
career by being a chairperson of Vichaar Vibhag, All India Congress Committee.
UPBRINGING & EDUCATION – Mr. Kumar was born in 1952 in the city of Delhi. He graduated from St. Stephens College with a B.A in history honors. He then pursued law from the faculty of law, Delhi University and then a master in Philosophy from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He also got a doctorate in law from the Punjab University.
WALK OF LIFE– Ashwani Kumar is an eminent lawyer, thinker, author and a parliamentarian. During his time, he has held various ministerial positions. He was also appointed as a special envoy of PM Manmohan Singh to Japan. He was appointed as
Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment and Forests in 2015. He also served as Chairman of the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha for ‘The Prevention of Torture Bill” 2010.
MAJOR INITIATIVES TAKEN– Kumar is a human rights activist and has taken up several causes including the enactment of a comprehensive Anti-custodial torture legislation for India, the issue of the right of the elderly to live with dignity and the
human rights of Rohingyas. He has also fought for the cause of liberty of human rights activists. He has also appeared before the Supreme Court to oppose pre-natal sex detention tests to prevent female feticides.
CAREER TIMELINE/POSITION HELD-
1986- Designated as Senior Advocate to the Supreme Court
1990- Additional Solicitor General of India
2006- Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
2009- Member, Standing Committee on External Affairs
2011- Minister of State for Planning
2010- Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs
2011- Minister of State for Science and Technology
2012- Cabinet Minister for Law and Justice
2013- Member, Standing Committee on Defense
2014- Member, Public Accounts Committee
2015- Member, National Literacy Mission
2015- Chairman, Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment and Forests,
2015-Member, General Purposes Committee, Rajya Sabha
2015-Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defense
CONTROVERSIES/CASES – Kumar is alleged to have intervened in vetting CBI’s status report in the coal allocation case. He faced a lot of opposition and criticism when he was inducted into the ministry of law. Solicitor General, Rohinton Narimha also resigned from his post due to differences with Kumar over representing the government in certain cases outside Delhi.