Ujjwal Nikam, Sadanandan Master, Shringla, Meenakshi Jain nominated to Rajya Sabha

Illustrious lawyer Ujwal Deorao Nikam, BJP Kerala leader Sadanandan Master, distinguished diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Indic historian Meenakshi Jain were on Sunday nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu.

The Ministry of Home issued the notification.

Nikam, known for securing death penalties, including for the lone surviving perpetrator of the dastardly 26/11 Mumbai terror attack Ajmal Kasab, had in 2024 unsuccessfully contested the high-profile Mumbai North Central seat as a BJP candidate. The BJP had dropped its two-term sitting MP Poonam Mahajan to nominate Nikam, famous for advocating capital punishment and for his line that “only the corrigible can be reformed”.

Nikam has handled several high-profile cases, including the 1993 Bombay blasts, Gulshan Kumar killing, Pramod Mahajan murder, Marine Drive rape case and the 2008 Mumbai terror attack among others.

Shringla was Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 and has previously served as Foreign Secretary of India and India’s Ambassador to the United States, High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and Ambassador to Thailand.

Among the most notable political nominations is that of C Sadanandan Master, the BJP leader from Kerala whose legs had been brutally hacked by CPM cadres in an act of political vengeance. Master was in 2016 named as a BJP candidate from Kerala in the very first list of candidates.

He remains a significant BJP force in the political landscape of Kannur who unsuccessfully contested Koothuparambu constituency.

An RSS functionary based in Mattanur in Kannur district, Master lost his legs in January 1994. The attack on him saw instant retaliation with KV Sudheesh, an SFI leader killed that very same day in front of his elderly parents.

Meenakshi Jain is a noted historian of medieval and colonial India.

She is a former Associate Professor of history at Gargi College, University of Delhi, former Fellow of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and former member of the Governing Council of Indian Council of Historical Research. She is currently Senior Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research and her areas of research include cultural and religious developments in medieval and early modern India.

Her deeply researched books have dealt with historical issues of national importance: Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples (2019), The Battle for Rama: Case of the temple at Ayodhya (2017), Sati: Evangelicals, Baptist Missionaries and the changing Colonial Discourse (2016), Rama and Ayodhya (2013), Parallel Pathways: Essays on Hindu –Muslim Relations (1707-1857) (2010).

She also co-edited The India They Saw: Foreign accounts of India from the 8th to mid-19th century, 3 Vols (2011).

In 2020, Dr Meenakshi Jain received from the Government of India the Padma Shri award, in recognition of her contributions.

The MHA notification said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-clause (a) of clause (1) of article 80 of the Constitution of India, read with clause (3) of that article, the President is pleased to nominate to the Council of States the following persons to fill the vacancies caused due to retirement of nominated members:- (i) Shri Ujjwal Deorao Nikam, (ii) Shri C. Sadanandan Master, (iii) Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and (iv) Dr. Meenakshi Jain.”

PM Modi hails Rajya Sabha nominees, lauds their contributions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed presidential nominations to the Rajya Sabha and remarked on the illustrious lives of each nominee.

He said C. Sadanandan Master’s life is the epitome of courage and refusal to bow to injustice.

"Violence and intimidation couldn’t deter his spirit towards national development. His efforts as a teacher and social worker are also commendable. He is extremely passionate towards youth empowerment," he said about Master, whose legs had been brutally hacked by SFI cadres in an act of extreme political violence in 1994 in Kerala's Kannur.

The PM described Harsh Vardhan Shringla as an excellent diplomat, an intellectual and a strategic thinker.

"Over the years, he’s made key contributions to India’s foreign policy and also contributed to our G20 Presidency. Glad that he’s been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India. His unique perspectives will greatly enrich Parliamentary proceedings," the PM tweeted.

He said RS nominee Ujjwal Nikam’s devotion to the legal field and to the Constitution is exemplary.

"He has not only been a successful lawyer but also been at the forefront of seeking justice in important cases. During his entire legal career, he has always worked to strengthen constitutional values and ensure that common citizens are always treated with dignity," the PM said on Nikam who prosecuted Mumbai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab.

On Meenakshi Jain, he said, "Her work in the fields of education, literature, history and political science has enriched academic discourse significantly."