New Delhi: Former Union Minister and senior Supreme Court advocate Shanti Bhushan (97) passed away. He passed away at his residence in Delhi on Tuesday evening. Shantibhushan was a person who constantly stood against corruption and for civil rights. He handled the Law Department in the Morarji Desai Cabinet (1977-79).
Shanti Bhushan entered politics through the Congress (O) and later became a member of the Janata Party. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1977 to 1980. He joined the BJP in 1980. Resigned from BJP in 1986. Shanti Bhushan is also one of the founding leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. Due to health problems, he was not active in public work for some time.
Shanti Bhushan was one of the best jurists the country has ever seen. In 1974, when Raj Narayan approached the Allahabad High Court challenging Indira Gandhi’s Lok Sabha election victory, it was Shanti Bhushan who appeared for him. Indira, who suffered a setback in the case, lost her position. He also introduced the 44th constitutional amendment. The 44th Constitutional Amendment repealed various provisions of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment brought by the Indira Gandhi government.
Shanti Bhushan was one of the founding members of the NGO Center for Public Interest Litigation. Shanti Bhushan is also the author of Courting Destiny: A Memoir. Senior lawyer and social activist Prashant Bhushan is the son.