Ex-Union Law Minister and Supreme Court Lawyer Shanti Bhushan Dies at 97

Bhushan was a minister in the Cabinet of the Morarji Desai-led government back in 1977.

Shanti Bhushan.

(Photo Courtesy: ANI screengrab)

Former Law Minister and Supreme Court advocate Shanti Bhushan passed away on Tuesday evening, 31 January.

Details: The 97-year-old was suffering from a brief illness, according to The Indian Express.

• The veteran lawyer breathed his last at his home in Delhi, Live Law reported.

• The Supreme Court Bar Association informed that he will be cremated at Lodhi Crematorium in the city on Wednesday noon, 1 February.

“All I can say is that this is the end of an era. He was a person who saw the evolution of the Constitution and the legal system from close quarters since Independence. He wrote about these experiences in two books – Courting Destiny and My Second Innings. All I can say is that this is an immense loss for all of us,” his son, lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, was quoted as saying in the report.

In memory: Bhushan was best known for fighting the case that led Indira Gandhi to impose the Emergency in 1975.

• Appearing for Jan Sangh leader Raj Narain, Bhushan had argued before the Allahabad High Court in a case accusing the then-prime minister of electoral malpractices.

• The court ended up ruling in his client's favour, disallowing Gandhi from contesting elections for six years.

• A book on the infamous legal battle titled 'The Case That Shook India' was authored by Prashant Bhushan in 2017.

(With inputs from The Indian Express and Live Law.)