Birth of Rash Behari Ghose - [December 23, 1845] This Day in History

Rash Behari Ghose (also spelt Ras Behari Ghosh) was born on 23rd December 1845. He was a moderate Congress leader, eminent legal expert, social worker and a philanthropist. He was born in Bankura District of the Bengal Presidency. This article throws light on the life and contribution of Ras Behari Ghosh.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

Rash Behari Ghose Biography

1. Rash Behari Ghose (alternatively spelt Ghosh) was born in Torkona village in Khandaghosh area in the District Bankura which is a part of Burdwan division in present-day West Bengal.
2. He received his early education in the Burdwan Raj Collegiate School. After that, he joined the Presidency College in Kolkata and graduated in 1865. One year later, he received his MA in English and secured first class honours, becoming the first Indian student to secure that distinction.
3. In 1867, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree and started his legal career as a vakil of the High Court Bar of Calcutta.
4. Not only did he practice law, but also studied Indian and English law judiciously.
5. Four years later, Ghose took the Honours in Law exam which at that time was one of the most difficult exams in the world. He succeeded in that exam and was awarded the Doctor of Laws degree in 1871.
6. He also occupied the Tagore Law Chair at the Calcutta University in 1875.
7. Ghose was a member of the Indian National Congress and succeeded Dadabhai Naoroji as its president. He was president of two sessions, in Surat (1907) and in Madras (1908).
8. He became a member of the Bengal Legislative Council between 1891 and 1894, and then again between 1906 and 1909.
9. He was also a member of the Secretary of State’s Council of India in 1891 and in 1893. During his tenure there, he was responsible for tabling two bills which were passed by the government and enacted. One of the bills related to court sale in a debt case, and the other related to the law of pre-emption.
10. He was widely known and regarded as a scholar in matters of law. His work on the law of mortgage is considered a classic even today.
11. He was accorded the CIE (Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire) in 1896 and the CSI (Companion of the Order of the Star of India) in 1909 by the British government.
12. He was knighted in 1915.
13. Ghose made a great deal of money through his legal practice, but donated most of it to charity. He contributed Rs.13 lakhs to the establishment of the National Council of Education at Jadavpur. This institution later became the Jadavpur University.
14. Ghose passed away in 1921.

Also on this day

1902: Birth of Charan Singh, former Prime Minister of India. His birth anniversary is observed as ‘Kisan Diwas’ (National Farmer’s
Day) in India.
1912: Delhi Conspiracy Case in which a bomb was thrown at Viceroy Lord Hardinge’s elephant carriage. The assassination attempt
was masterminded and executed by Rash Behari Bose.
1959: Death of Lord Irwin (also known as Viscount Halifax or Earl of Halifax), Viceroy of India from 1925 to 1931.
2004: Death of P V Narasimha Rao, former Prime Minister of India.
2010: Death of veteran politician and former Chief Minister of Kerala K Karunakaran.

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2021.

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