C. Sankaran Nair
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Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair CIE |
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|---|---|
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| Advocate General of the Madras Presidency | |
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In office 1906–1908 |
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| Preceded by | C. A. White |
| Succeeded by | P. S. Sivaswami Iyer |
| President of Indian National Congress | |
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In office 1897–1897 |
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| Preceded by | Rahimtulla M. Sayani |
| Succeeded by | Anandamohan Bose |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 11, 1857 Chettur, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Died | April 24, 1934 (aged 76) Madras, British India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Profession | Lawyer, jurist, activist, politician |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, CIE (11 July 1857 – 24 April 1934) was the President of the Indian National Congress in 1897 held at Amraoti. Until present he is the only Keralite to hold the post.
He was born on July 11, 1857 in Palakkad District as the son of Manmayil Ramunni Panicker and Parvathy Amma Chettur. His early education began in the traditional style at home and continued in schools in Malabar, till he passed the Arts examination with a first class from the Provincial School at Calicut. Then he joined the Presidency College, Madras. In 1877 he took his Arts degree, and two years later secured the Law degree from the Madras Law College.
Sir Sankaran Nair started as a lawyer in 1880 in the High Court of Madras. In 1884, the Madras Government appointed him as a member of the Committee for an enquiry into the state of Malabar. Till 1908, he was the Advocate-General to the Government and an Acting Judge from time to time. In 1908, he became a permanent Judge in the High Court of Madras and held the post till 1915.He was a part of the bench that tried Collector Ashe murder case along with C. A. White, then the Chief Justice of Madras, William Ayling, as a special case.
In the meantime, in 1902, the Viceroy Lord Curzon appointed him Secretary to the Raleigh University Commission. In recognition of his services, he was appointed a Companion of the Indian Empire by the King-Emperor in 1904 and in 1912 he was knighted. He became a member of the Viceroy's Council in 1915 with the charge of the Education portfolio. As member, he wrote in 1919 two famous Minutes of Dissent in the Despatches on Indian Constitutional Reforms, pointing out the various defects of British rule in India and suggesting reforms. For an Indian to offer such criticism and make such demands was incredible in those days. The British government accepted most of his recommendations.
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