New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) Former Mizoram governor and senior advocate Swaraj Kaushal who died on Thursday had successfully defended former defence minister George Fernandes in the famous Baroda dynamite case during the Emergency.
Kaushal, who died at the age of 73, was a brilliant lawyer and was designated as a senior advocate from the Supreme Court at the age of 34.
He was the first advocate general of Mizoram in 1987 at the age of 34 and dealt with the insurgency problems of North-East India very closely.
He is also credited with negotiating the historic Mizoram Peace Accord of 1986, when former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was at the helm after he secured the release of Mizo leader Laldenga from jail in a conspiracy case from the court. The Accord ended 20 years of insurgency in the North-East.
Kaushal, husband of late BJP veteran and former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, was the father of New Delhi BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj.
He had become the youngest person to become a governor of a state (Mizoram) at the age of 37 in 1990, a post which he held till 1993. He was also a member of Parliament between 1998 and 2004 as a leader of the Haryana Vikas Party. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1998-2004.
Kaushal was born in 1952 in Solan district of present day Himachal Pradesh and did his schooling in Chandigarh. He pursued law at Panjab University.
In 1975, he married Sushma Swaraj, who was also a lawyer and who went on to become leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the external affairs minister.
Kaushal, who was often spotted in the Supreme Court corridors meeting his colleagues and friends, complained of chest pain in the afternoon and was rushed to AIIMS where doctors declared him dead, a BJP leader said.
Kaushal will be cremated at Lodhi Road crematorium, he said.
Bansuri Swaraj, in an emotional post on X, said that her father’s affection, discipline, simplicity, patriotism and immense patience were the light of her life which would never diminish.
“Your departure has descended upon us as the deepest pain in the heart yet the mind holds on the belief that you are now reunited with mother, in the presence of the almighty and eternal peace. Being your daughter is the greatest pride of my life and your legacy, values and blessings will be the bases of my journeys ahead,” said the New Delhi BJP MP.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta condoled Kaushal’s death, calling the news heartbreaking.
She recalled Kaushal’s contributions to public life and the field of law and added that his service to the nation and society is unforgettable. PTI MNL MNL KSS KSS
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