In June 2021, making of a biopic on Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair was announced which will depict the legendary courtroom battle that Nair fought against the British. Chettur Sankaran Nair was born in 1857 to an aristocratic family in Mankara village of Malabar’s Palakkad district, Kerala. After completing his degree in Law, he was hired by Sir Horatio Shepherd, a British lawyer, who later became the Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras. Nair was known for his defiant attitude since his early days as a lawyer. He was once described by Edwin Montague, the Secretary of State for India as an ‘impossible person’. Despite his many critiques, Nair’s presence as a lawyer in court was formidable. He passed away in 1934 at the age of 77.
He is best known for fighting a legal battle as a defendant against Michael O’Dwyer, who was the Lieutenant-governor of Punjab when Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened. The latter had sued Nair for a case of libel in England. The case was fought in 1924 and Nair lost it due to bias of the English jury. But the case had a deep impact on the nationalist movement in India.
His Achievements
- In 1897, he became the youngest president of the Indian National Congress in the history of the party till then, and the only Malayali to hold the post ever.
- By 1908, he was appointed as a permanent judge in the High Court of Madras.
- In 1902, Lord Curzon appointed him a member of the Raleigh University Commission.
- In 1904, he was appointed as Companion of the Indian Empire by the King-Emperor, and in 1912 he was knighted.
- In 1915, he became part of the Viceroy’s Council, put in charge of the education portfolio.
- In 1919, he played an important role in the expansion of provisions in the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms which introduced a system of dyarchy in the provinces and increased participation of Indians in the administration.
- When the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh happened, he thought nothing about resigning from the Viceroy’s Council in protest. Nair’s resignation shook the British government. In the immediate aftermath, press censorship in Punjab was lifted and martial law was terminated. Further, a committee was set up under Lord William Hunter to examine the disturbances in Punjab.
In 1922, he wrote a book Gandhi and Anarchy, which was a critique of M.K. Gandhi’s principles. In the book, Nair also criticised O’Dwyer for Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
The great advocate of self-determination of India, Nair always worked to bring out reforms in the society in a big way.
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