V. M. Tarkunde
Encyclopedia
Vithal Mahadeo Tarkunde also popularly known as Justice V.M.Tarkunde was a prominent Indian lawyer, civil rights activist, and humanist leader and has been referred to as the "Father of the Civil Liberties movement" in India. The Supreme Court of India also praised him as "undoubtedly the most distinguished judge of the post-Chagla 1957 period" in the Bombay High Court
.
, Pune District
, Maharashtra
on July 3, 1909. He was the 2nd of the five children of Mahadeo Rajaram Tarkunde, a popular lawyer and social reformer at Saswad
,then headquarters of Purandar Taluka adjoining Pune. His father, a Brahmin
by caste, had fought against the practice of untouchability
.
In 1920 he migrated from Saswad to Pune and joined the New English School, Pune. In the Matriculation examination of 1925 held by the Bombay University, he stood first in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency
. He also secured the prestigious Jagannath Shankersheth Scholarship for Sanskrit. He then joined the Fergusson College
for B.A which he completed in 1929, subsequently moving to London
, where he attended the Lincoln’s Inn and qualified as a Barrister-at-Law in 1931. He also attended lectures in economics, political science and social anthropology at the London School of Economics
(LSE) as an external student. He returned to India the next year in December and commenced his legal practice in Pune.
. He resumed his legal practice in the Bombay High Court
in 1948 after Independence and was elevated to the bench as a Judge of the Bombay High Court
in September 1957. He stepped down voluntarily as Judge of the Bombay High Court in 1969 and set up practice in the Supreme Court of India
where he continued till his resignation in 1977 at the age of 68. He was chiefly concerned with Public Interest Litigation
s and constitutional cases, most of which he conducted with little or no fees.
(CSP) and the Indian National Congress
but later left the CSP disillusioned with their vote against Subhash Chandra Bose
in the January 1939 Tripura Congress. He then joined the League of Radical Congressmen led by his mentor M. N. Roy in April 1939.
In 1940, Roy and Tarkunde, along with several others, left the Congress after dissenting on the question of participation in the Second World War. Roy advocated participation in the war against the Axis powers
, while simultaneously striving for Indian independence, and founded the Radical Democratic Party
to further this cause.In 1942, Tarkunde gave up his legal practice to become a full time member of the Radical Democratic Party
and was elected General Secretary of the RDP in 1944, thereby migrating to Delhi. By 1946 Roy formulated the philosophy of New Humanism. By 1948 he and Roy decided that political parties were an inadequate instrument for promoting freedom of the people and so dissolved the RDP in December 1948. He returned to legal practice the same year.
, providing leadership to the NGOs Citizens for Democracy and People's Union for Civil Liberties
, of which he was the founding president. He also worked on the Citizen's Justice Committee
and played a principal part in resisting and investigating the excesses of the period, including the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots
, and human rights violations in the Punjab, Kashmir, and the North-East.
Tarkunde was a Board Member for the International Humanist and Ethical Union
(IHEU), the world union of Humanist organizations for over 40 years.
Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court at Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the High Court of India with jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra & Goa, and, the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli...
.
Early life and education
Vithal Mahadeo Tarkunde was born in SaswadSaswad
Saswad is a city and a municipal council in Purandhar taluka of Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Saswad is located at . It has an average elevation of 769 metres .-Demographics:...
, Pune District
Pune District
Pune District is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters. In the last census on 2001, the total population of the district was 7,232,555, making it the fourth most populous district in India . Urban population comprises 58.08% of the total population...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
on July 3, 1909. He was the 2nd of the five children of Mahadeo Rajaram Tarkunde, a popular lawyer and social reformer at Saswad
Saswad
Saswad is a city and a municipal council in Purandhar taluka of Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Saswad is located at . It has an average elevation of 769 metres .-Demographics:...
,then headquarters of Purandar Taluka adjoining Pune. His father, a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
by caste, had fought against the practice of untouchability
Untouchability
Untouchability is the social practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers...
.
In 1920 he migrated from Saswad to Pune and joined the New English School, Pune. In the Matriculation examination of 1925 held by the Bombay University, he stood first in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
. He also secured the prestigious Jagannath Shankersheth Scholarship for Sanskrit. He then joined the Fergusson College
Fergusson College
Fergusson College is a degree college in western India, situated in the city of Pune. It was founded in 1885 by the Deccan Education Society and at that time was the first privately governed college in India. It is named after Sir James Fergusson, the Governor of Bombay, who donated a then...
for B.A which he completed in 1929, subsequently moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he attended the Lincoln’s Inn and qualified as a Barrister-at-Law in 1931. He also attended lectures in economics, political science and social anthropology at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(LSE) as an external student. He returned to India the next year in December and commenced his legal practice in Pune.
Legal career
Tarkunde started practice at Pune soon after he returned to India in 1933. He continued there till 1942 when he gave up his practice to become a full time member of the Radical Democratic PartyRadical Democratic Party (India)
Radical Democratic Party, political party in India which existed at the time of the Second World War. RDP evolved out of the League of Radical Congressmen, which had been founded in 1939 by former Communist International leader M.N. Roy. Roy founded RDP in 1940 with the purpose of engaging India in...
. He resumed his legal practice in the Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court at Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the High Court of India with jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra & Goa, and, the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli...
in 1948 after Independence and was elevated to the bench as a Judge of the Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court at Mumbai, Maharashtra, is the High Court of India with jurisdiction over the states of Maharashtra & Goa, and, the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli...
in September 1957. He stepped down voluntarily as Judge of the Bombay High Court in 1969 and set up practice in the Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
where he continued till his resignation in 1977 at the age of 68. He was chiefly concerned with Public Interest Litigation
Public interest litigation
In Indian law, Public Interest Litigation OR जनहित याचिका means litigation for the protection of the public interest. It is litigation introduced in a court of law, not by the aggrieved party but by the court itself or by any other private party...
s and constitutional cases, most of which he conducted with little or no fees.
Activism
In 1933, he joined the Congress Socialist PartyCongress Socialist Party
The Congress Socialist Party was founded in 1934 as a socialist caucus within the Indian National Congress. Its members rejected what they saw as the anti-rational mysticism of Mohandas Gandhi as well as the sectarian attitude of the Communist Party of India towards the Congress Party...
(CSP) and 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...
but later left the CSP disillusioned with their vote against Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose known by name Netaji was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain and the Western powers during World War II. Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in...
in the January 1939 Tripura Congress. He then joined the League of Radical Congressmen led by his mentor M. N. Roy in April 1939.
In 1940, Roy and Tarkunde, along with several others, left the Congress after dissenting on the question of participation in the Second World War. Roy advocated participation in the war against the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
, while simultaneously striving for Indian independence, and founded the Radical Democratic Party
Radical Democratic Party (India)
Radical Democratic Party, political party in India which existed at the time of the Second World War. RDP evolved out of the League of Radical Congressmen, which had been founded in 1939 by former Communist International leader M.N. Roy. Roy founded RDP in 1940 with the purpose of engaging India in...
to further this cause.In 1942, Tarkunde gave up his legal practice to become a full time member of the Radical Democratic Party
Radical Democratic Party
Radical Democratic Party is the name of several political parties:*Radical Democratic Party *Radical Democratic Party *Radical Democratic Party of Switzerland...
and was elected General Secretary of the RDP in 1944, thereby migrating to Delhi. By 1946 Roy formulated the philosophy of New Humanism. By 1948 he and Roy decided that political parties were an inadequate instrument for promoting freedom of the people and so dissolved the RDP in December 1948. He returned to legal practice the same year.
Radical Humanism
In 1969, Tarkunde founded the Indian Radical Humanist Association as an organisation for radical humanists. He also began editing the Radical Humanist (founded in 1937 by Roy as Independent India) in April 1970, supporting it initially with his own income.Emergency
During the emergency, he worked closely with Jayaprakash NarayanJayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan , widely known as JP Narayan, Jayaprakash, or Loknayak, was an Indian independence activist and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful Total Revolution...
, providing leadership to the NGOs Citizens for Democracy and People's Union for Civil Liberties
People's Union for Civil Liberties
People's Union for Civil Liberties is a human rights body formed in India in 1976 by socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan, as the People's Union for Civil Liberties and Democratic Rights .-The indian emergency:...
, of which he was the founding president. He also worked on the Citizen's Justice Committee
Citizen's Justice Committee
Citizen's Justice Committee is an umbrella organization of various human rights organizations and is known for pro bono representing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims in their legal battle to gain justice.-Formation:...
and played a principal part in resisting and investigating the excesses of the period, including the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots
1984 anti-Sikh riots
The 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms / riots or the 1984 Sikh Massacre was a sikh genocide there was four days of violence in northern India, particularly Delhi, during which armed mobs killed Sikhs, looted and set fire to Sikh homes, businesses and schools, and attacked gurdwaras, in response to the...
, and human rights violations in the Punjab, Kashmir, and the North-East.
Tarkunde was a Board Member for the International Humanist and Ethical Union
International Humanist and Ethical Union
The International Humanist and Ethical Union is an umbrella organisation embracing humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, skeptic, freethought and Ethical Culture organisations worldwide. Founded in Amsterdam in 1952, the IHEU is a democratic union of more than 100 member organizations in 40...
(IHEU), the world union of Humanist organizations for over 40 years.
Awards and honours
At the 1978 London Congress of the IHEU, VM Tarkunde received the International Humanist Award 1978.Books
- Radical humanism: The philosophy of freedom and democracy
- Report to the Nation:Oppression in Punjab
- Communalism and human rights (J.P. memorial lecture)
- Through humanist eyes
- Radical humanism: The philosophy of freedom and democracy
- For freedom
- Kashmir problem: Possible solutions
- Great Britain and India
- The danger ahead: An analysis of congress capitalist alignment