Laxmi Mall Singhvi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member ofLok Sabha | |
| In office 1962–1967 | |
| Constituency | Jodhpur |
| Member ofRajya Sabha | |
| In office 1998–2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1931-11-09)9 November 1931 Jodhpur,Jodhpur State,British India |
| Died | 6 October 2007(2007-10-06) (aged 75) New Delhi,India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Alma mater | Allahabad University (BA) Jaipur University (LLB,MA) Harvard University (LLM) Cornell University (LL.D) |
| Occupation | Jurist, writer, diplomat |
Laxmi Mall Singhvi (9 November 1931 – 6 October 2007) was an Indian jurist, parliamentarian, scholar, writer and diplomat. He was, afterV. K. Krishna Menon, the second-longest-servingHigh Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom (1991–97).[1] He was conferred with aPadma Bhushan in 1998.[2]
Singhvi was born inJodhpur,Rajasthan, India, into aMarwariJain family. He had two brothers, Prasan Mall Singhvi and Gulab Mall Singhvi, and two sisters, Pushpa Sett and Chandra Bhandari.[3] Singhvi was a gold medallist in BA fromAllahabad University and then did LLB & MA fromJaipur University. He was Rajasthan's first Rotary Scholar toHarvard Law School for his LLM. He then did his LL.D fromCornell Law School, USA in two years.[4]
After taking a degree in law, Singhvi began his legal practice at the Jodhpur trial and sessions courts. He practiced as an advocate for some time before contesting and winning the election to Parliament from theJodhpur (Lok Sabha constituency) in 1962 as an Independent candidate (not affiliated to any political party). During his five-year term asMP, his appearances in court were necessarily limited by the demands of work in parliament and in his constituency. He subsequently returned to his law practice full-time, but abandoned his practice in the district court to begin practicing at the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court of India. His practice soon flourished and he was named Advocate General ofRajasthan state for the period 1972–77. He was later designated a Senior Advocate in theSupreme Court of India.
Singhvi was drawn to politics as an opponent of radical social agenda championed byJawaharlal Nehru. Most of the radical legislation was passed during the term of the secondLok Sabha (1957–62). When elections for the third Lok Sabha were held in 1962, Singhvi stood for election as an independent candidate from his hometown,Jodhpur. He won the election by a narrow margin and was elected to Parliament from theJodhpur constituency.
As MP, he proposed the creation of an independent, statutory vigilance body with investigative powers, tasked with unearthing corruption in government. This proposal was based on his study of the role of theOmbudsman in Scandinavian countries. Singhvi served as a member of theLok Sabha for five years, but lost the election of 1967 and did not return to Parliament until thirty-one years later.
In 1997, after he returned to India following a long tenure as High Commissioner to the UK, Singhvi formally joined theBharatiya Janata Party. He was elected the following year to theRajya Sabha for a term of six years (1998–2004).[5] As MP, he served as Chairman of High Level Committee onIndian Diaspora. He was instrumental in implementing theVajpayee government's outreach to the Indian diaspora. It was he who conceptualised the idea of holding and annual 'Pravasi Bharatiya Divas' event to promote interaction ofNRIs with the Indian government and industry.[6]
In 1991, Prime MinisterPV Narasimha Rao appointed SinghviHigh Commissioner to theCourt of St. James. This made him, afterVK Krishna Menon, the second longest-servingHigh Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom (1991–97).
In 1993, during his term as High Commissioner, Singhvi spearheaded the Indian delegation to the United Nations conference on Human Rights in Vienna. The same year, he was invited by theUniversity of Cambridge to deliver theRede Lecture, the topic being his own book, 'A Tale of Three Cities.'[7]
He was also a member of thePermanent Court of Arbitration atThe Hague.[7]
Singhvi wrote several books in both English and Hindi. These includeA Tale of three cities,Jain Temples andBharat aur Hamara Samay ("India and our times"). As a writer, he had a substantial output, and his numerous books are written in a style that can best be termed simple. They are a mix of general information on specific topics ("Jain temples") and of his views on various issues in books with a very general scope ("India and our times"). Singhvi had a lifelong interest inJain history and culture. He served as president of theIndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
In 1993, Dr Singhvi was awarded thePadma Bhushan byGovt. of India, and an honorary degree ofLLD by theUniversity of Buckingham.[8]
The Supreme Court of India held the 'First Dr. L.M. Singhvi memorial lecture on 'Law, Technology and Society: Its dynamics’ on 17 January 2009, delivered byDr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Former President of India.[9]
Using a bequest by the Trustees of the British Indian Golden Jubilee Banquet Fund, "Dr L M Singhvi Visiting Fellowship" is given out byUniversity of Wales and 'Centre of South Asian Studies',University of Cambridge, for visiting student and scholars of Indian nationality.[10][11]
The School of Constitutional Law at theNational Law University, Jodhpur has been named after Dr. L.M Singhvi.
Singhvi was married at a very young age to Kamla (née Baid), a lady of his own community and similar background, in a match arranged by their parents.
Their only son,Abhishek Manu Singhvi, is a leading lawyer, statesman and leader of the Congress Party. He is a member of Parliament in India from the Upper House, Rajya Sabha. LM Singhvi's daughter, Abhilasha Singhvi, is engaged in social work as Managing Trustee of Manav Seva Sannidhi, anNGO.
Singhvi died on 6 October 2007 in New Delhi following a brief illness.
