https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Sadhan_GuptaSadhan Gupta - Revision history2026-09-06T04:50:17ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sadhan_Gupta&diff=290619&oldid=prev->Johnpacklambert: /* Youth */ no reason to connect his birth with events in a different country2021-11-19T14:04:09Z<p><span class="autocomment">Youth: </span> no reason to connect his birth with events in a different country</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian politician}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}<br />
'''Sadhan Chandra Gupta''' (7 November 1917 – 19 September 2015) was an Indian lawyer and politician. Gupta became the first blind parliamentarian in independent India in 1953, and later served as Advocate General of [[West Bengal]].<br />
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==Youth==<br />
Gupta was born in [[Dacca]] on 7 November 1917.<ref name=b>''Times of India''. ''[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Barrister-and-parliamentarian-Sadhan-Gupta-passes-away/articleshow/49038905.cms Barrister and parliamentarian Sadhan Gupta passes away]''</ref> His father, Jogesh Chandra Gupta, was a lawyer at the [[Calcutta High Court]] and a leader of the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name=b/><ref name=f/> Sadhan Gupta became permanently blind after suffering from [[smallpox]] during his childhood.<ref name=b/> Gupta went to school at the [[Calcutta Blind School]].<ref name=a/> Later he studied at [[Presidency University, Kolkata|Presidency College]] (Economics, graduated with honours) and [[Calcutta University]] (Law).<ref name=f/><ref name=a/> He became involved in radical politics during his student days, joining the [[Communist Party of India]] in 1939.<ref name=b/> He served as president of the Bengal Provincial Students Federation.<ref name=b/><br />
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==Legal career==<br />
Gupta enrolled as a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court in 1942.<ref name=f/> As a young lawyer, he took up many cases regarding persons under preventive detention.<ref name=c/> He attained nationwide fame when arguing in the 1945 ''[[habeas corpus]]'' case "Emperor vs Shibnath Banerjee", first in the [[Calcutta High Court]] and thereafter in the [[Federal Court of India]].<ref name=b/><ref name=f>''Frontline''. ''[http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/a-stalwart-passes-away/article7702318.ece A stalwart passes away]''</ref><ref name=c>{{cite book|title=Popular Jurist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DtabAAAAMAAJ|volume=4|year=1987|publisher=All India Lawyers' Union|page=18}}</ref> His actions in the "Emperor vs Shibnath Banerjee" case provoked praise from [[Mahatma Gandhi]].<ref name=f/> In 1947 he joined the Bar at [[Middle Temple]].<ref name=f/><br />
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==Parliamentarian==<br />
Gupta contested the [[Calcutta South East (Lok Sabha constituency)|Calcutta South East seat]] in the [[1951 Indian general election|1951–1952 election]], challenging Dr. [[Syama Prasad Mukherjee]].<ref name=d>''The Statesman''. ''[http://www.thestatesman.com/bengal/veteran-communist-sadhan-gupta-dies-91403.html Veteran Communist Sadhan Gupta dies]''</ref> Gupta finished in third place with 32,168 votes (22.24%).<ref>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1951 TO THE FIRST LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)]''</ref> Gupta was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] (Lower House of the [[Parliament of India]]) from the Calcutta South East constituency in [[1953 Calcutta South East by-election|a 1953 by-election]], held after Mukherjee died.<ref name=a>''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/veteran-leftist-sadhan-gupta-passes-away/article7671154.ece Veteran Leftist Sadhan Gupta passes away]''</ref><ref name=d/> Gupta received 58,211 votes (55.24%).<ref name="e">Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/ByeElection/Bye-ele-results%2052-95.xls Bye-election results 1952–95]''</ref> He thus became the first blind parliamentarian in independent India.<ref name=a/><ref>''Business Standard''. ''[http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/veteran-communist-leader-sadhan-gupta-dies-115092000654_1.html Veteran communist leader Sadhan Gupta dies]''</ref> In the election he had defeated [[Radhabinod Pal]], who was a senior lawyer.<ref name=b/><br />
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In parliament, Gupta was noted for his flawless English.<ref name="Mukerjee1992">{{cite book|author=Hirendranath Mukerjee|title=Portrait of Parliament: Reflection and Recollection, 1952–77|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lBNAAAAAMAAJ|year=1992|publisher=Basumati Company|isbn=978-0-7069-0590-8|page=61}}</ref> He would softly type [[braille]] whilst listening to the debates.<ref name="Mukerjee1992"/> Whilst being a parliamentarian Gupta continued to practice Law.<ref name=g/> Apart from his work at the Calcutta High Court, Gupta appeared in court cases at [[Srinagar]], [[Jaipur]], [[Jodhpur]], [[Patna]], [[Allahabad]], [[Cuttack]], [[Jamshedpur]], [[Jabalpur]] and even [[Chittagong]] (in [[East Pakistan]]).<ref name=g/><br />
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Gupta was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in the [[1957 Indian general election|1957 general election]], from the [[Calcutta East (Lok Sabha constituency)|Calcutta East constituency]].<ref name=f/><ref name=g>''Ganashakti''. ''[http://ganashakti.com/english/news/details/10606 Comrade Sadhan Gupta no more]''</ref> He obtained 143,350 votes (62.68%).<ref>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1957/Vol_I_57_LS.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1957 TO THE SECOND LOK SABHA – VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)]''</ref><br />
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==State legislator==<br />
When CPI was divided, Gupta sided with the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]].<ref name=b/> Gupta contested the [[Chowrangee (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Chowringhee constituency]] in the [[1967 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]].<ref name=g/> Gupta finished in second place with 11,658 votes (31.62%), being defeated by Congress candidate [[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]].<ref name=s1967>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20report%20WB1967.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1967 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]''</ref> He was elected to the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]] in the [[1969 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election|1969 election]] from the [[Kalighat (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Kalighat constituency]].<ref name=b/> Gupta obtained 28,133 votes (55.18%)<ref name=s1969>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1969/Statistical%20report%20WB1969.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1969 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}''</ref><br />
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==Left Front period==<br />
When the [[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]] came to power in West Bengal in 1977, Gupta played an important role in maneuvering the various legal challenges put against its land reform programs and [[Operation Barga]].<ref name=f/> In 1979 he was named as Additional Advocate General of West Bengal.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sûrya India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mT08AAAAMAAJ|volume=4|year=1979|publisher=A. Anand.|page=52}}</ref><br />
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In 1986 he was named Advocate General of West Bengal by the [[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]] government, following the death of [[Snehangshu Kanta Acharya]].<ref name=b/><ref name=a/> He became the first visually impaired person to hold that office.<ref name=a/><br />
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==Social work==<br />
Gupta founded the National Federation of the Blind and became the first president of the organization.<ref name=a/> He also became the first president of the Indian chapter of [[Disabled Peoples' International]].<ref name=a/> He served as president of various [[trade union]]s, such as in the insurance and ITC sectors.<ref name=g/><br />
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Apart from his legal and political career, Gupta was noted as a singer of ''[[Music of India#Ganasangeet|ganasangeet]]'', ''[[Rabindra Sangeet|Rabindrasangeet]]'' and [[folk music|folk songs]].<ref name=b/><br />
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Gupta died on 19 September 2015.<ref name=a/><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta, Sadhan}}<br />
[[Category:1917 births]]<br />
[[Category:2015 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:1st Lok Sabha members]]<br />
[[Category:2nd Lok Sabha members]]<br />
[[Category:Members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly]]<br />
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:Indian barristers]]<br />
[[Category:Blind lawyers]]<br />
[[Category:Blind politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Blind people from India]]<br />
[[Category:Advocates General for Indian states]]<br />
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Trade unionists from West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]<br />
[[Category:People from Dhaka]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Presidency University, Kolkata alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:People from Purba Bardhaman district]]</div>->Johnpacklambert