Ex-foreign secy Shringla, lawyer Ujjwal Nikam nominated to Rajya Sabha

Former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, special public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case Ujjwal Nikam, Kerala BJP leader C. Sadanandan Master and Delhi-based historian Meenakshi Jain have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

In a notification issued late Saturday night, the Union home ministry said the President has nominated the four to the Rajya Sabha.

"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:- Shri Ujjwal Deorao Nikam, Shri C. Sadanandan Master, Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Dr. Meenakshi Jain," the notification said.

Nikam is a renowned lawyer and had served as a government counsel in the Mumbai terror attacks case. He is known for cooking up the story about terrorist Ajmal Kasab asking for mutton biryani in jail.

The BJP used this lie to its advantage by giving it a spin: that the Congress government was serving biryani to terrorists.

Nikam later admitted he had "concocted" the story to stop an “emotional wave” that was being created in favour of the militant.

The BJP had fielded Nikam as party candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai North Central seat.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla had served as India's ambassador to the United States and Thailand and as high commissioner to Bangladesh.

A 1984 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Shringla had also served as chief coordinator for India's G20 Presidency in 2023.

Meenakshi Jain, who served as a lecturer at Delhi University's Gargi college, has been honoured with the Padma Shri. She has authored several books on Indian history, the country's civilisation and indigenous education and languages during British rule.

Sadanandan Master is a former teacher who was a BJP candidate in the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections in Kannur district in Kerala.

Both of his legs were chopped off in 1994 by his rivals allegedly after he changed his political allegiance.

The President nominates 12 people to the Rajya Sabha, who are people of eminence in various fields. Four seats were vacant.

(With PTI inputs)