A. T. Pannirselvam
Encyclopedia
Rao Bahadur Sir A. T. Pannirselvam (1 June 1888 - 1 March 1940) was an India
n attorney, landlord, politician and leader of the Justice Party
.
, Secretary of State for India
. He attended the 1930 Round Table Conference
on India as a nominee of the Viceroy to represent Indian Christians.
In 1937, Panneerselvam succeeded Mohammad Usman
as the Minister for Home of the Madras Presidency, in the Raja of Bobbili cabinet. In 1936 he became the member for Home in the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras - Lord Erskine
. He also served as the Minister for Home and Finance, in the short lived interim provincial government of Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
during 1 April - 14 July 1937. After the defeat of the Justice party in the 1937 Assembly elections
, Panneerselvam became the leader of the Justice party. He was one of the few Justice leaders to win in the 1937 elections, defeating George Joseph
of the Indian National Congress
from the Tanjore Constituency. The party under his leadership supported the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40. He remained the leader of the party till 1938, when Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
took over the leadership of the party in December 1938.
flight he was flying in, HP42 "Hannibal", crashed in the Gulf of Oman
killing everyone aboard.
as "Panneerselvam Tiruvarur" district in his honour.(However, it reverted to its old name in 1997, when all names of persons were dropped from the names of districts and transport corporations). On 31 December 2008, the Government of India issued a stamp (valued at Rs.5) in his honour.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n attorney, landlord, politician and leader of the Justice Party
Justice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
.
Political career
Panneerselvam was the leader of the Tanjore Municipal Corporation during 1918-20 and a member of the Tanjore District board during 1924-30. He was an alumnus of Cambridge University and the first Indian Christian to be appointed as adviser to the Lord ZetlandMarquess of Zetland
Marquess of Zetland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 22 August 1892 for the former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Earl of Zetland. Zetland is an archaic spelling of Shetland. The Dundas family descends from the wealthy Scottish businessman and...
, Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
. He attended the 1930 Round Table Conference
Round Table Conferences (India)
This article is about the Anglo-Indian Round Table Conferences. For the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, see Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference. For other uses of Round Table, see Round Table ....
on India as a nominee of the Viceroy to represent Indian Christians.
In 1937, Panneerselvam succeeded Mohammad Usman
Mohammad Usman of Madras
Khan Bahadur Sir Mohammad Usman, KCSI, KCIE, Kt was an Indian politician, hakim and socialite who served as the Minister of Home for the Madras Presidency in the Justice Party government of the Raja of Bobbili and as the acting Governor of Madras from May 16, 1934 to August 16, 1934...
as the Minister for Home of the Madras Presidency, in the Raja of Bobbili cabinet. In 1936 he became the member for Home in the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras - Lord Erskine
John Erskine, Lord Erskine
John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine GCSI, GCIE was a British soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare and Brighton...
. He also served as the Minister for Home and Finance, in the short lived interim provincial government of Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Rao Bahadur Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu KCSI was an Indian lawyer, professor, politician and Justice Party leader who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from April 1, 1937 to July 14, 1937...
during 1 April - 14 July 1937. After the defeat of the Justice party in the 1937 Assembly elections
Madras Presidency legislative assembly election, 1937
The First legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency was held in February 1937. The Indian National Congress obtained a majority by winning 159 of 215 seats in the Legislative Assembly. This was the first electoral victory for the Congress in the presidency since elections were first...
, Panneerselvam became the leader of the Justice party. He was one of the few Justice leaders to win in the 1937 elections, defeating George Joseph
George Joseph (Kerala)
George Joseph was born at Chengannur in Travancore now in Kerala. He was an Indian independence activist. He was born a Syrian Christian and later became a Syrian Catholic. He was a UK educated Barrister in law. He set up his practice in Madurai after returning from UK. He was imprisoned several...
of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
from the Tanjore Constituency. The party under his leadership supported the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40. He remained the leader of the party till 1938, when Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
Erode Venkata Ramasamy , affectionately called by his followers as Periyar , Thanthai Periyar or E. V...
took over the leadership of the party in December 1938.
Death
Panneerselvam died in a plane crash on 1 March 1940. He was traveling to London to join the Secretary of State's Indian Council, when the Imperial AirwaysImperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
flight he was flying in, HP42 "Hannibal", crashed in the Gulf of Oman
Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It is generally included as a branch of the Persian Gulf, not as an arm of the Arabian Sea. On the north coast is Pakistan and Iran...
killing everyone aboard.
Legacy
In 1991, the Tamil Nadu Government named the newly created Tiruvarur districtTiruvarur District
Tiruvarur district is one of the 30 districts in the Tamil Nadu state of India. The district occupies an area of 2161 km². It is lies between Nagapattinam district on the east and Thanjavur district on the west, and is bounded by the Palk Strait on the south...
as "Panneerselvam Tiruvarur" district in his honour.(However, it reverted to its old name in 1997, when all names of persons were dropped from the names of districts and transport corporations). On 31 December 2008, the Government of India issued a stamp (valued at Rs.5) in his honour.