Sir Sankaran Nair (1857-1934)

Why in the News? : During a speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised civil rights advocate Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair for challenging British rule after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Introduction : Sir Sankaran Nair was a prominent nationalist, jurist, and social reformer. Born in 1857 in Palakkad district of Kerala, he was a successful lawyer and judge of the Madras High Court. In 1897, he became President of the Indian National Congress.
Contributions and Achievements : In 1919, he resigned from the Viceroy’s Executive Council in protest of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Gandhi and Anarchy : He criticized Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation movement and British policies in his book ‘Gandhi and Anarchy’ (1922).
Judicial and social reforms : As a judge, he opposed caste system and social inequality. He gave several progressive judgments against the practice of intercaste and inter-religious marriages. He also supported the practice of interreligious marriages.