Kailash Nath Katju

He argued for communists in one decade and for soldiers of the Indian National Army in the next. Both times he stood against the same colonial state. Then he became a minister, a governor and a chief minister.

His name was Kailash Nath Katju. He was one of India’s most famous lawyers, and he held more high offices than most politicians of his time.

1Where did Katju come from?

Katju was born on 17 June 1887. His birthplace was Jaora, a princely state in today’s Madhya Pradesh. His family was Kashmiri Pandit. His father had been a dewan of the state.

He went to school in Jaora and then in Lahore. He finished his graduation at Forman Christian College in 1905. That July he joined Muir Central College in Allahabad.

In 1907 he took a law degree from Allahabad University. He stood second in the province. A master’s degree in history followed in 1908.

• Born 17 June 1887 at Jaora.
• Family of Kashmiri Pandits; father a dewan.
• Law degree from Allahabad University, 1907.

2How did he build his legal career?

Katju began practice in Kanpur in 1908. He moved to Allahabad in 1914. In 1919 he earned a doctorate in law. He joined the Allahabad High Court as an advocate in 1921.

His name grew with famous cases. He defended the accused in the Meerut Conspiracy Case. Sources place his High Court work on that case in 1933. Later he defended army officers at the Red Fort.

He also took on public duties. From 1935 to 1937 he chaired the Allahabad Municipal Board. Later he served as chancellor of Prayag Mahila Vidyapith in Allahabad.

• Practice began at Kanpur, 1908.
• Advocate of the Allahabad High Court, 1921.
• Defended accused in the Meerut Conspiracy Case.
• Chaired the Allahabad Municipal Board, 1935-37.

3What did he do in the freedom struggle?

In 1937 Congress formed a ministry in the United Provinces under G.B. Pant. Katju became its law minister on 17 July 1937. The ministry resigned on 2 November 1939.

The reason was the war. The British had dragged India into World War II without asking Indians. Congress ministries quit in protest.

Soon after, Katju was jailed for about 18 months. He was jailed again in 1942. He also served in the Constituent Assembly.

In 1945 and 1946 he joined the defence of Indian National Army officers at the Red Fort. The trials stirred the whole country. Many Indians saw the accused as heroes.

• 17 July 1937: Law Minister under G.B. Pant.
• 2 November 1939: ministry resigned over the war.
• Jailed about 18 months; again in 1942.
• Defended INA officers at the Red Fort.
• Read about the INA and the Red Fort trials.

4Which offices did he hold after 1947?

India became free in August 1947. Katju at once became Governor of Orissa. He held the post from 15 August 1947 to 20 June 1948. Then he went to Calcutta as Governor of West Bengal, until 31 October 1951.

In 1951 he won a Lok Sabha seat from Mandsaur. He joined Nehru’s cabinet as Law Minister. In November 1951 he succeeded C. Rajagopalachari as Home Minister. Sources call him the third Home Minister.

In 1955 he became Defence Minister. On 31 January 1957 he became Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He stayed until 11 March 1962.

• Governor of Orissa, 1947-48.
• Governor of West Bengal, 1948-51.
• Home Minister from November 1951; Defence from 1955.
• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, 1957-62.
• See C. Rajagopalachari, whom he succeeded.

5What did he leave behind?

Katju was one of the seven original subscribers to the Memorandum of Association of Associated Journals Ltd. That company published the National Herald and two other newspapers. He also wrote books, among them a memoir, The Days I Remember.

Accounts say that as Chief Minister he backed the Gandhi Sagar Dam on the Chambal river. Treat that as a common claim from older sources. It is not a point to bet an exam answer on.

His family kept the legal tradition. His son Brahma Nath Katju became Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court. His grandson Markandey Katju became a judge of the Supreme Court. Katju died at his Allahabad home on 17 February 1968.

• Among the seven original subscribers of Associated Journals, publisher of the National Herald.
• Son Brahma Nath Katju: Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court.
• Grandson Markandey Katju: judge, Supreme Court.
• Died 17 February 1968.
• Read about Jawaharlal Nehru, in whose cabinet he served.

6What are the exam traps?

Keep the order of his posts straight.

• He was Governor of Orissa first, then West Bengal.
• In the Union cabinet it ran Law, Home, Defence.
• He succeeded Rajagopalachari as Home Minister in 1951.
• He became Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1957.
• He defended Meerut accused and INA officers, two different trials.
• See Govind Ballabh Pant, his chief in 1937.