Shanti Bhushan facts for kids

Shanti Bhushan (born 11 November 1925) is an important Indian politician and a skilled lawyer. He served as the Law Minister of India from 1977 to 1979. This means he was in charge of legal matters for the country. He worked in the government led by Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Mr. Bhushan is also a senior advocate, which is a very experienced lawyer, at the Supreme Court of India. In 2009, he and his son, Prashant Bhushan, were named among the most powerful people in India by a newspaper called The Indian Express.

Important Court Cases

Shanti Bhushan has worked on many famous and important court cases throughout his career.

Representing Key Figures

• Mr. Bhushan represented Raj Narain in a big case against Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister of India at the time. The judge found Indira Gandhi guilty of some election issues. This decision led to many protests and a difficult period for India known as the state of emergency.
• In 1994, he was a lawyer for some people accused in a major court case in Mumbai.
• In 2002, he represented the famous writer Arundhati Roy in a case at the Supreme Court of India.
• In 2008, Mr. Bhushan helped Shaukat Hussain appeal his conviction related to an attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001.
• He also represented Transparency International, an organization that fights against corruption. This was in a case about money problems that supposedly involved some judges.
• Mr. Bhushan was the lawyer for former Prime Minister of India H. D. Deve Gowda. This case was about how land was given out for a big road project between Bangalore and Mysore.

Working for Change

Shanti Bhushan has always been active in working for public good and making sure people in power are responsible.

Public Interest Litigation

In the late 1980s, Shanti Bhushan helped start an organization called the Centre for Public Interest Litigation. This group is a non-profit organization that takes legal cases that are important for many people, not just one person. It helps make sure justice is served for the public.

Other important lawyers also helped create this center. They included Fali Sam Nariman, Anil Divan, Rajinder Sachar, and Colin Gonsalves.

Judicial Accountability

Shanti Bhushan and his son, Prashant Bhushan, have worked hard to make sure judges in India are fair and responsible. They set up a group called the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reform (CJAR).

This campaign has helped bring attention to issues like judges' behavior and making sure judges declare what they own. The group has also spoken out about the actions and appointments of certain judges. In 2009, a committee that included Shanti Bhushan said that new judges should only be chosen after public discussion.

Fighting Corruption

Shanti Bhushan was a key member of the main group for India Against Corruption. This was a big movement that worked to fight corruption in India. He was part of a special committee that helped write a bill, or proposed law, called the Jan Lokpal Bill. This bill aimed to create an independent body to investigate corruption.

His Book

• Courting Destiny: A Memoir (2008) is a book written by Shanti Bhushan. It shares his memories and experiences.