Source: IE
Context: Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Sir Sankaran Nair on the 106th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, recalling his legal battle against British atrocities.
About Sir Sankaran Nair:
- Who was Sir Sankaran Nair?
- Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair was a distinguished jurist, statesman, and fearless nationalist known for speaking truth to colonial power.
- Early Life and Education:
- Born in 1857, Mankara village, Palakkad, Malabar region (present-day Kerala).
- Graduated from Presidency College, Madras, with a law degree.
- Began legal career under Sir Horatio Shepherd, later Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
- Career and Achievements:
- Sankaran Nair was appointed public prosecutor (1899) and went on to become a judge of the Madras High Court (1908).
- 1912: Knighted by the British Crown.
- 1915: Member of Viceroy’s Executive Council for education reforms.
- 1919: Resigned in protest after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- Contribution to Indian Freedom Movement:
- Advocated for constitutional reforms and India’s self-governance.
- Presided over Indian National Congress Session at Amraoti (1897).
- He was a chairman of the All-India Committee, which in 1928–29 rather ineffectually met with the Simon Commission
- Served as councillor to the Secretary of State for India (1920–21).
- He simultaneously opposed the Indian nationalist movement led by Mohandas K. Gandhiand its forcible suppression by the British Indian government.
- Jallianwala Bagh Case (1922–24):
- Authored “Gandhi and Anarchy”, critiquing both British excesses and Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement.
- Fiercely held O’Dwyer accountable for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, faced a defamation suit in a British court, and despite losing the case, displayed moral courage by refusing to apologise.
- The case revealed British judicial bias and stirred Indian nationalist sentiments.
- Reformist and Social Justice Advocate
- Judgements supported inter-caste and inter-faith marriages.
- In Budasna v Fatima (1914), upheld conversion to Hinduism without loss of caste status.
- Founded and edited Madras Law Journal and Madras Review.
