M. C. Setalvad
{{Short description|Indian jurist (c. 1884–1974)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = M. C. Setalvad
| known_for = India's first Attorney General.
| honorific-suffix =
| image = M.C. Setalvad.jpg
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
| alt =
| caption =
| order1 =
| office1 = Attorney General of India
| term_start1 = 28 January 1950
| term_end1 = 1 March 1963
| office2 = Chairman, 1st Law Commission of India
| termstart2 = 1955
| termend2 = 1958
| nominator2 =
| appointer2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| birth_date = 1884
| birth_place =
| death_date = 1974
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| parents = Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad
| children =
| relatives = Teesta Setalvad (grand daughter)
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Lawyer
}}
Motilal Chimanlal Setalvad (c. 1884 – 1974) was an Indian jurist. Setalvad was the first and longest serving Attorney General of India, serving from 1950 to 1963.{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/26/stories/2006102603841000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127104225/http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/26/stories/2006102603841000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 27, 2007|work=The Hindu|title=Rule of law versus rule of judges |date=Oct 26, 2006}} He also remained the Chairman of the first Law Commission of India (1955–1958), which has mandated for legal reform in the country by Government of India. He became the first Chairman of the Bar Council of India in 1961.[http://www.lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/main.htm First Law Commission: Chairman Mr. M. C. Setalvad 1955-1958] Law Commission of India.
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor, by the Government of India in 1957.{{cite web|title=Padma Awards|publisher=Ministry of Communications and Information Technology|url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/padma_awards.php}}
Biography
The son of noted lawyer Sir Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad, Setalvad was born in Bombay to a gujarati brahmin family. He studied at Government Law College, Mumbai.
Setalvad started practicing law in Bombay and eventually became Advocate General of Bombay and Attorney General for India in 1950, in the formative years of Government of India, under Jawaharlal Nehru.
Setalvad appeared for the government in a host of important and, at times, controversial cases. He was also involved with the Radcliffe Tribunal for demarcation of the India-Pakistan border and several UN proceedings on Kashmir. He chaired the first Law Commission of independent India, in which capacity he not just advised the government on crucial reforms and legislation but also created a framework for the Commission’s future functioning.{{Cite web | title = M.C. Setalvad | publisher = Bar Council of India | url = http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/legends-of-the-bar/m-c-setalvad/ | access-date = 12 April 2012}}
Setalvad died in 1974.[https://indianlawwatch.com/m-c-setalvad/ died in 1974 at Mumbai]
Personal life
His son, Atul Setalvad (25 October 1933 - 22 July 2010){{Cite news |last=Patel |first=Gautam |date=27 July 2010 |title=That Oceanic Feeling: Atul M Setalvad |url=https://archive.today/20120720234050/http://www.bombaybar.com/cgi-bin/loquitur/mail.cgi?f=archive_bare;l=loquitur;id=20100727085715}} was a Mumbai-based lawyer and his daughter-in-law Sita Setalvad, a rural crafts exponent, while his granddaughter, Teesta Setalvad, is an activist and journalist.{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041128/society.htm#2|title=Teesta in full flow|date=November 28, 2004|work=The Tribune}}
Bibliography
- My life; law and other things, 1970.
- {{cite book|author=Motilal Chimanlal Setalvad|title=Bhulabhai Desai|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfO1AAAAIAAJ|year=1968|publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101226013546/http://judgesplot4plot.com/Plot4plot/000%20Up%20Dates/06%20CJI.LahotiFirm/CJI.motilal__setalvad.htm M. C. Setalvad, Biography]
- [http://www.indianexpress.com/news/of-reform-and-resistance/453151/2 Of reform and resistance] Indian Express
{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Setalvad, M. C.}}
Category:20th-century Indian lawyers
Category:Indian autobiographers
Category:Attorneys general of India
Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs
Category:Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha
Category:19th-century Indian lawyers
Category:20th-century Indian biographers