H. R. Bhardwaj

H. R. Bhardwaj Biography

H. R. Bhardwaj is an Indian politician associated with Indian National Congress. He served as a Rajya Sabha member in the early 1980s. A Former parliamentarian and cabinet minister, he served as Minister of Law and Justice during 22 May 2004 – 28 May 2009, the second longest tenure in Law Ministry after Ashoke Kumar Sen. He has also served as the governor of different south Indian states such as Kerala and Karnataka. He was the Governor of Karnataka from 2009 to 2014, and took the additional charge of Kerala from 2012 until 2013. He has been elected to Rajya Sabha four times.

He was born on 17 May 1937 in Gahri Sampla Kiloi of Rohtak, Punjab in British India. He was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1982. During this tenure he served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice during 1984-1989 under Rajiv Gandhi Ministry. He got re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1988, continuing his post as Ministry of Law. During 1991-1992 under Narasimha Rao’s government, he served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Planning and Programme Implementation, followed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs.

He got re-elected for his third term in 1994 and fourth term in 2004. During his last term as a Rajya Sabha member, he served as Union Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice. He has been elected to Rajya Sabha representing Indian states Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. He introduced the concept of rural courts during his first term as law minister. A loyalist to Gandhi family in the 1980s and 1990s, his name was also heard in the controversies related to Bofors scandal.

Published: September 03, 2018

Updated: September 03, 2018