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{{About|the politician|other people with a similar name|Ashwani Kumar (disambiguation){{!}}Ashwani Kumar}}
{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ashwani Kumar
| image = File:Ashwani Kumar Minister (cropped).jpg
| caption =
| office = [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha]]
| constituency2 = [[Punjab]]
| party = [[Indian National Congress]] <br />(till February 2022)
| term_start = 2002
| term_end = 2016
| office3 = [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Minister of Law and Justice]]
| primeminister3 = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| term_start3 = 28 October 2012
| term_end3 = 10 May 2013
| predecessor3 = [[Salman Khurshid]]
| successor3 = [[Kapil Sibal]]
| office4 = [[Additional Solicitor General of India]]
| term_start4 = 1991
| term_end4 = 1991
| predecessor4 =
| successor4 =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|10|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Delhi]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = Madhu Kumar {{small|(1975–2012)}}
| children = 2
| alma_mater = [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]], [[Faculty of Law, University of Delhi|Faculty of Law]],<br>[[Jawaharlal Nehru University]]
| profession = [[Lawyer]], [[Politician]]
| website = [http://ashwanikumar.info/ Official website]
}}
'''Ashwani Kumar''' (born 26 October 1952) is an Indian politician and [[lawyer]] who formerly served as [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha]] representing the state of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]. He formerly served as Union [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Minister of Law and Justice]] and Union Minister of State in the [[Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (India)|Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion]] and [[Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)|Ministry of Commerce and Industry]].

In 1991, at the age of 37, he was appointed one of the youngest Additional Solicitors General of India. He has served as [[Indian National Congress]] party's National Spokesperson and Chairman of its ''Vichar Vibhag''. As a legal counsel, he has argued important cases before the [[Supreme Court of India]], including the [[Bhopal Gas Tragedy]] case, and has also represented major corporations in international arbitrations. He has been a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] since 2002.

He resigned from the [[Indian National Congress]] on 15 February 2022.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ashwani Kumar, former law minister, quits Congress|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ashwani-kumar-former-law-minister-quits-congress-news-agency-pti-2769119|accessdate=15 February 2022|newspaper=NDTV India|date=15 February 2022}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born in Delhi on 26 October 1952, Ashwani Kumar graduated from [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]]. Thereafter, he pursued law and earned [[Bachelor of Laws]] from [[Faculty of Law, University of Delhi]], and a [[Master of Philosophy]] from [[Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi|Jawaharlal Nehru University]], New Delhi.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

In 2004, he was awarded [[honorary doctorate]] in law from [[Panjab University, Chandigarh|Panjab University]].{{cn|date=June 2020}}

==Career==
{{See also|Second ministry of Manmohan Singh}}
He has been the Additional Solicitor General of India. He is engaged in the advocacy of human rights issues in and out of court.{{cn|date=June 2020}}
[[File:Manmohan Singh at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Bar Council of India, in New Delhi. The Union Minister for Law & Justice, Dr. Ashwani Kumar and the Chief Justice of India, Shri Justice Altamas Kabir are also seen.jpg|thumb|left|Kumar with former Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] in 2013]]

===Ministerial responsibilities===
Ashwani Kumar was the Minister of Law and Justice from 28 October 2012 to 11 May 2013. From 19 January 2011 to 11 May 2013, he was the Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning; Ministry of Science and Technology; and Ministry of Earth Sciences. He was the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs from January to July 2011.

===Special Envoy to Japan===
In 2013, Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] appointed him as his Special Envoy "to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges with Japan" and prepare for the upcoming visit of Japan's Emperor and the Empress to India.<ref name="AK PM Envoy Japan">{{cite news|title=Ashwani Kumar made PM's special envoy to Japan|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/ashwani-kumar-made-pm-s-special-envoy-to-japan-113082200827_1.html|work=[[Business Standard]]|date=22 August 2013|accessdate=17 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="AK PM Envoy Japan2">{{cite news|title=PM appoints Ashwani Kumar as special envoy with cabinet rank to visit Japan|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-appoints-ashwani-kumar-as-special-envoy-with-cabinet-rank-to-visit-japan/articleshow/21977450.cms|work=[[The Economic Times]]|accessdate=17 March 2017}}</ref>
[[File:The Minister of State for Industry, Dr. Ashwani Kumar meeting with the former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, in Tokyo on February 18, 2008.jpg|thumb|left|Ashwani Kumar with [[Shinzo Abe]] in 2008]]

===Academia===
In 2011, Kumar was the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology Forum (STS) at [[Kyoto]], Japan. He was a guest speaker at The Kennedy School of Government at [[Harvard University]] in 2008. He was a visiting scholar at CSIS, Washington in 2004. In addition to writing a number of scholarly articles on law, economic reforms, elections, democracy and international affairs, Kumar has also authored a book titled ''Law, Ideas and Ideology in Politics; Perspectives of an Activist'' in 2003.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

In 2012, Kumar was the keynote speaker at the Harvard Club, [[New York City]] on "The Legal Architecture for consolidating the economic reform process in [[India]]" and was also a guest lecturer at [[MIT]]. In 2013, he was a speaker at the Aix Le Cercle des economists in [[Aix-en-Provence]], France, and was a distinguished fellow at [[Trinity College, Dublin]] in 2016.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

Kumar's second book, ''Hope in a Challenged Democracy - an Indian Narrative'', was published in 2017.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

==Membership of committees and key positions held==

[[File:Pranab Mukherjee receiving a copy of the book of Justice Bhagwati's Memoirs “My Tryst with Justice”, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi. The Union Minister for External Affairs, Shri Salman Khursheed.jpg|thumb|right|Kumar with the President of [[India]] in 2012]]
Kumar was appointed Member of Standing Committee of Parliament on External Affairs in 2009. He also served as the chairman of the Select Committee of [[Rajya Sabha]] for "The Prevention of Torture Bill", 2010. He was a member of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Defense and a member of the Public Accounts Committee in 2013. In 2014, Kumar was appointed a member of the Co-ordination Committee of the INC in Rajya Sabha and a member of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the INC. Kumar has also been a member of the Empowered Sub-Committee of the High Level Committee on Manufacturing and the Standing Committee on Commerce. He has chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests. In January 2015, Kumar was nominated as a Member of the General Purposes Committee of Rajya Sabha. He was also nominated as a Member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence in January 2015.

In 2014, Kumar was appointed a Member of the National Literacy Mission. He was a Member of the Indian Ministerial delegation for the 3rd Indo-US Strategic Dialogue and the 1st Indo-Japan Economic Dialogue held in [[New Delhi]]. Kumar was the founder president of the Indo-French Parliamentary Friendship Group constituted by the Speaker of [[Lok Sabha]] in 2003.

In November 2017, Kumar was appointed a Distinguished Fellow with the Global Federation of Competitiveness Council.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thegfcc.org/about/press/|title=About}}</ref>

==Nominations==
In 2013, Kumar was nominated to represent India at the [[United Nations General Assembly]] Session in [[New York City]] and made an address there. He also represented India at the Summer Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions (2011) in [[Dalian]], People's Republic of China.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

==Coalgate draft report controversy==
Kumar was appointed to vet a draft report of [[Ranjit Sinha]], the director of the CBI, in 2013. Submitted to the Supreme Court of India, this concerned the [[Indian coal allocation scam]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Coal-Gate: Affidavit filed in the Supreme Court by CBI Director|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/shared-coal-status-report-with-law-minister-cbi-chief-tells-sc/1108326/|accessdate=26 April 2013|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=26 April 2013}}</ref> and led to opposition claims that the autonomy of the CBI was undermined. They demanded Kumar's resignation from the cabinet,<ref>{{cite news |title=I Have Done No Wrong: Law Min on Coalgate Report |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=796464 |newspaper=Outlook Magazine |date=26 April 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=27 April 2013 |archive-date=9 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609161126/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=796464 }}</ref> which happened on 10 May 2013.<ref>{{cite web|author=NDTV |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pawan-bansal-ashwani-kumar-resign-as-union-ministers-365391|title=Pawan Bansal, Ashwani Kumar resign as Union ministers |publisher=NDTV|date=2013-05-10 |accessdate=2013-05-10}}</ref> Kumar said that he resigned only to ensure that the functioning of Parliament was not stalled and noted that the Supreme Court had not made any adverse comments against him.<ref>{{cite web|author=NDTV |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/former-law-minister-ashwani-kumar-speaks-to-the-media-highights-365512|title=Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar speaks to the media: Highights |publisher=NDTV|date=2013-05-11 |accessdate=2013-05-11}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He married Madhu on 30 November 1975, with whom he had a son and daughter.

==Publications==
Among Kumar's publications are:

===Books===
* ''Ehsas-O-Izhar: An Anthology of Urdu Poetry '' (Publisher: Nyogi Books)[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/an-august-gathering-and-an-evening-of-verses/article23419290.ece/ The Hindu][https://www.jagran.com/delhi/new-delhi-city-manmohan-singh-17766597.html Jagran]
* ''Hope in a Challenged Democracy: An Indian Narrative'' (Publisher: Wisdom Tree; {{ISBN|978-8183284943}})
* ''Law, Ideas and Ideology in Politics: Perspectives of an Activist'' (Publisher: HarAnand Publications; {{ISBN|978-8124109250}})

==Honours==
*[[Order of the Rising Sun|Order of the Rising Sun, 1st Class, Grand Cordon]] (2017)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.archive.india.gov.in/govt/rajyasabhampbiodata.php?mpcode=1902 Profile on Indian Government Archives website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Salman Khurshid]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Minister of Law and Justice]]|years=2012–2013}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Kapil Sibal]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Cabinet of Manmohan Singh}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Ashwani}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Delhi]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Delhi University alumni]]
[[Category:Faculty of Law, University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni]]
[[Category:Law ministers of India]]
[[Category:Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun]]

Ashwani Kumar politician - Revision history

imported>MarceloCoode04 at 15:28, 24 February 2026