History of Ashwani Kumar (politician) in Timeline

Ashwani Kumar is an Indian politician and lawyer. He has served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, representing Punjab. His ministerial roles include Union Minister of Law and Justice and Union Minister of State in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He is a notable figure in Indian politics.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

October 1952: Born in Delhi

Ashwani Kumar was born in Delhi in October 1952.

October 1952: Ashwani Kumar Born

Ashwani Kumar was born in October 1952. He is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha representing the state of Punjab and Union Minister.

November 1975: Married Madhu

On November 30, 1975, Ashwani Kumar married Madhu, and they had a son and a daughter.

1991: Appointed Additional Solicitors General of India

In 1991, Ashwani Kumar was appointed one of the youngest Additional Solicitors General of India at the age of 37.

2002: Became a Member of the Rajya Sabha

Since 2002, Ashwani Kumar has been a member of the Rajya Sabha.

2003: Authored Book

In 2003, Ashwani Kumar authored a book titled Law, Ideas and Ideology in Politics; Perspectives of an Activist.

2003: Founder President of Friendship Group

In 2003, Ashwani Kumar was the founder president of the Indo-French Parliamentary Friendship Group constituted by the Speaker of Lok Sabha.

2004: Visiting Scholar at CSIS

In 2004, Ashwani Kumar was a visiting scholar at CSIS, Washington.

2004: Awarded Honorary Doctorate

In 2004, Ashwani Kumar was awarded an honorary doctorate in law from Panjab University.

2008: Guest Speaker at Kennedy School of Government

In 2008, Ashwani Kumar was a guest speaker at The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

2009: Appointed Member of Standing Committee

In 2009, Ashwani Kumar was appointed as a Member of the Standing Committee of Parliament on External Affairs.

2010: Chairman of Select Committee

In 2010, Ashwani Kumar served as the chairman of the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha for "The Prevention of Torture Bill".

January 2011: Appointed Minister of State

From January 2011, Ashwani Kumar was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning; Ministry of Science and Technology; and Ministry of Earth Sciences.

July 2011: Appointed Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs

From January to July 2011, Ashwani Kumar served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.

2011: Represented India at World Economic Forum Meeting

In 2011, Ashwani Kumar represented India at the Summer Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China.

2011: Keynote Speaker at Science and Technology Forum

In 2011, Kumar was the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology Forum (STS) at Kyoto, Japan.

October 2012: Appointed Minister of Law and Justice

In October 2012, Ashwani Kumar became the Minister of Law and Justice.

2012: Keynote Speaker at Harvard Club and Guest Lecturer at MIT

In 2012, Ashwani Kumar was the keynote speaker at the Harvard Club in New York City on "The Legal Architecture for consolidating the economic reform process in India" and was also a guest lecturer at MIT.

May 2013: Resignation from Cabinet

In May 2013, Ashwani Kumar resigned from the cabinet after opposition claims of undermining the autonomy of the CBI due to his involvement in vetting a draft report related to the Indian coal allocation scam. He resigned on May 10, 2013.

May 2013: Served as Minister of State

In May 2013, Ashwani Kumar served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ministry of Earth Sciences.

2013: Represented India at United Nations General Assembly Session

In 2013, Ashwani Kumar represented India at the United Nations General Assembly Session in New York City and delivered an address there.

2013: Member of Standing Committee of Parliament on Defense

In 2013, Ashwani Kumar was a member of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Defense and a member of the Public Accounts Committee.

2013: Speaker at Aix Le Cercle des economists

In 2013, Ashwani Kumar was a speaker at the Aix Le Cercle des economists in Aix-en-Provence, France.

2013: Appointed Special Envoy to Japan

In 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed Ashwani Kumar as his Special Envoy "to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges with Japan" and prepare for the visit of Japan's Emperor and the Empress to India.

2014: Appointed to National Literacy Mission

In 2014, Ashwani Kumar was appointed a Member of the National Literacy Mission and was part of the Indian Ministerial delegation for dialogues held in New Delhi.

2014: Appointed Member of INC Committees

In 2014, Ashwani Kumar was appointed a member of the Coordination Committee of the INC in Rajya Sabha and a member of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the INC.

January 2015: Nominated to General Purposes Committee

In January 2015, Ashwani Kumar was nominated as a Member of the General Purposes Committee of Rajya Sabha and as a Member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence.