Swaraj Kaushal
{{short description|Indian criminal lawyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Swaraj Kaushal
| image = Swaraj Kaushal (cropped).jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 1998
| order = 3rd
| office = Governor of Mizoram
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = Lal Thanhawla
| term_start = 8 February 1990
| term_end = 9 February 1993
| predecessor = Williamson A. Sangma
| successor = Paty Ripple Kyndiah
| office2 = Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
| constituency2 = Haryana
| term2 = 1998–2004
| office3 = Advocate General of Mizoram
| term3 = 1987–1990
| party = Haryana Vikas Party
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|07|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Solan, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, India
(present-day Himachal Pradesh)
| spouse = {{marriage|Sushma Swaraj|1975|2019|end=died}}
| children = Bansuri Swaraj (daughter)
| alma_mater = Delhi University
| occupation = {{hlist|Lawyer|politician}}
}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/politics/criminal-lawyer-by-profession-daughter-bansuri-swaraj-was-by-sushmas-side-when-minister-breathed-her-last-2261877.html|title=Criminal Lawyer by Profession, Daughter Bansuri Swaraj Was by Sushma's Side When Minister Breathed Her Last|website=News18|date=7 August 2019|access-date=3 September 2019}}
Early life
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.{{cite web |title=Rajya Sabha Former Members Search |url=https://rajyasabha.nic.in/Members/FormerMemberSearch |website=Rajya Sabha Secretariat |access-date=10 July 2022 |quote=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}}
Career
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.Making of Mizoram by Suhas Chatterjee 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.{{cite news |last1=Chaturvedi |first1=Rakesh Mohan |title=Swaraj Kaushal: Sushma Swaraj's achilles heel or her pillar of strength? |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/swaraj-kaushal-sushma-swarajs-achilles-heel-or-her-pillar-of-strength/articleshow/47670373.cms?from=mdr |access-date=6 December 2020 |work=The Economic Times |date=15 June 2015}} He was the youngest-ever advocate general in the country. He is an expert on India's northeast region and its insurgency problem.{{cite news |title=Rediff On The NeT: Swaraj Kaushal to hold talks with NSCN (I-M) |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/1998/may/02naga.htm |work=Rediff.com |date=2 May 1998 |access-date=21 September 2020}}
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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in/circular/senioradvocates.pdf|title=Supreme Court of India|website=www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in|accessdate=21 September 2020}}
Governor of Mizoram
He was the Governor of Mizoram from 8 February 1990 to 9 February 1993.
Member of Parliament
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.
Personal life
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.{{cite news |title=Sushma Swaraj, Former Foreign Minister and BJP Stalwart, Passes Away at 67 After Heart Attack |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/sushma-swaraj-former-foreign-minister-and-bjp-stalwart-passes-away-2260617.html |work=News18 |date=6 August 2019 |access-date=6 August 2019}}{{cite magazine |title=Sushma Swaraj passes away at 67 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/senior-bjp-leader-sushma-swaraj-heart-attack-aiims-death-1578000-2019-08-06 |magazine=India Today |date=6 August 2019 |access-date=6 August 2019}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Governor of Mizoram}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaushal, Swaraj}}
Category:20th-century Indian lawyers
Category:Indian Senior Counsel
Category:Rajya Sabha members from Haryana
Category:Haryana Vikas Party politicians