President Draupadi Murmu nominated four prestigious persons for the Rajya Sabha on Sunday (July 13, 2025). These include former diplomatic Harsh Shringla, senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam, historian Meenakshi Jain and social worker Sadanandan Master.

Who is Harsh Shringla?

This list is especially focused on the names of Harsh Shringla and Ujjwal Nikam, which are identified for specific contribution in their respective areas. Harsh Shringla has been a former Foreign Secretary of India and has also served as India’s Ambassador to America. He is considered an expert in diplomacy and strategic affairs.

Who is bright Nikam?

Ujjwal Nikam is counted among the well-known special government lawyers of the country, who have played an effective role in many high-profile and terrorism related matters. His career came into the limelight from the Kalyan bomb blast case in 1991, in which he played an important role in convicting the main accused Ravinder Singh. After this, he was appointed a special government lawyer on behalf of the state government in the 1993 Mumbai -serial bomb blasts case, which proved to be a big turn of his career.

Nikam served in TADA court for more than 14 years and led the prosecution in cases related to terrorism. His most talked about case was the 26/11 Mumbai attack of 2008, in which he firmly put the state government’s favor against Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Later, Nikam revealed that he had deliberately spread the matter of Kasab’s demand for mutton biryani in jail so that the anger of the public could get the right direction. This statement was in discussion for a long time.

Who is Dr. Meenakshi Jain?

Dr. Meenakshi Jain is a famous historian of medieval and colonial India. He is a former Associate Professor of History at Gargi College, University of Delhi, former Fellow of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and former member of the Governor Council of Historical Research Council. He is currently a senior fellow of the Indian Social Science Research Council.

The areas of his research include cultural and religious development in medieval and early modern India. His intensive research books are related to historical issues of national importance. Flight of gods and rebirth of temples (2019), war for Rama: Temple case (2017), Sati: Glotist, Baptist Missionaries and Changing Colonial Discourse (2016), Ram and Ayodhya (2013), Parallel Away: Essay on Hindu-Muslim relations (1707-1857) (2010). In the year 2020, Dr. Meenakshi Jain received the Padma Shri Award from the Government of India for his contribution.

Who is Sadanandan Master?

Sadanandan Master has been working in the field of education and social service for decades. He has promoted education and social awareness especially among the disadvantaged sections, scheduled castes and tribes. His image is of a loyal worker working at a ground level.

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President Droupadi Murmu has nominated four newly reputed personalities for the Rajya Sabha. These include senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam, former Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla, famous historian Dr. Meenakshi Jain and Kerala social worker C. Sadanandan Master. Under Article 80 of the Indian Constitution, Rajya Sabha, which is the upper house of Parliament, can be up to a maximum of 250 members. Of these, 238 members are elected from states and union territories, while 12 members nominate the President. These nominations are given to such persons who have made significant contribution in areas like literature, science, art or social service.

Who is Dr. Meenakshi Jain?

Dr. Meenakshi Jain is a well-known historian of India, whose work has been mainly focused on the cultural and religious processes of medieval and colonial India. She has been an Associate Professor of History at Gargi College, University of Delhi. Apart from this, he has also served as a Fellow in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and a member of the Council of Historical Research (ICHR). Currently, he is a senior fellow of the Indian Social Science Research Council (ICSSR).

Was awarded Padma Shri in the year 2020

His research books have often been at the center of historical discourse and have been questioning the topics of national importance. She has been challenging the attitude of historians like Romila Thapar and Satish Chandra. Dr. Meenakshi Jain’s arrival in Rajya Sabha is considered to be the result of that ideological struggle. It is also being called a reward of ‘politics of change’ in Indian history writing. In the year 2020, he was awarded the Padma Shri honor by the Government of India for his historical research and writing.

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