Ashoke Kumar Sen

Ashoke Kumar Sen Biography

Ashoke Kumar Sen was an Indian barrister, Cabinet minister of India, and an Indian parliamentarian. He is a unique cabinet minister who has served 7 Indian prime ministers. He also holds the record for winning a Lok Sabha seat the most times. He served as Union minister of law under several ministries. He has also served as Minister of Communications and Minister of Steel and Mines. Other honorable positions include President of Supreme Court Bar Association of India and Indian Football Association.

Ashoke Kumar Sen was born in 1913 in Faridpur, Bengal (now a part of Bangladesh). He studied at Sambalpur High School, Odisha. His elder brother, Sukumar Sen ICS was India, Sudan and Nepal's first Chief Election Commissioner. Ashoke Sen has studied at the Bar at Gray's Inn and once returned he started teaching law at the City College, Kolkata. At the age of 26, he published a book on Commercial Law. In 1943, he married his senior Sudhi Ranjan Das’s daughter, Anjana Das. The couple had 4 children.

Within five years of practice, Sen one of the top lawyers in the Calcutta High Court and published several books. He has also served as the Editor of Calcutta Law Journal. He was a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association several times. In 1957, he stood as congress candidate from the Calcutta North West seat for the Lok Sabha. But he was defeated by communist candidate. However in the following year, he won by over 100,000 votes. He retained that seat from 1957 to 1977, and again held the Calcutta North West seat from 1980 to 1989, being defeated in 1989 by Debi Prosad Pal. Thus Sen was a Member of the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Lok Sabhas.

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Updated: January 21, 2014