Shankar Dayal Sharma (19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer, scholar and statesman who was the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997. Before that he was Chief Minister of the former state of Bhopal, president of the Indian National Congress, a Union minister, governor of three states and Vice-President. In his last year in office he swore in three Prime Ministers.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Shankar Dayal Sharma |
| Born | 19 August 1918, Bhopal |
| Died | 26 December 1999, New Delhi (aged 81) |
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| Education | Agra, Allahabad and Lucknow universities; Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (Ph.D.); Lincoln’s Inn |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Offices | President of India (1992–1997); Vice-President (1987–1992); Chief Minister of Bhopal State (1952–1956); President of the Congress (1972–1974) |
| Spouse | Vimala Sharma |
| Children | 4 |
Early Life
He was born in Bhopal, then a princely state ruled by a Nawab. He was a student of unusual range: he took degrees in English, Hindi and Sanskrit and in law, standing first, and won a medal for social service. He was also a champion swimmer and athlete.
He went to Cambridge, where he took a doctorate in law, was called to the bar from Lincoln’s Inn, and spent a period at Harvard. He taught law at Lucknow University and at Cambridge.
Bhopal
He joined the Quit India movement and was jailed. After independence the Nawab of Bhopal wished to keep his state separate from the Indian Union. Sharma led the popular movement for merger in 1948–49 and was imprisoned for some months. Bhopal acceded in 1949.
In 1952, at thirty-three, he became Chief Minister of Bhopal State, the youngest in the country. When the state was merged into the new Madhya Pradesh in 1956, he pressed successfully for Bhopal to be its capital, and served as a minister there, holding education, law, industry and other portfolios, until 1967.
National Politics
He stood by Indira Gandhi in the Congress split of 1969. He was president of the party from 1972 to 1974 and Union Minister of Communications from 1974 to 1977. He was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhopal.
Governor
- **Andhra Pradesh (1984–1985):** appointed after the dismissal of the Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao by his predecessor had caused a national outcry; Sharma restored him
- **Punjab (1985–1986):** at the time of the accord meant to end the insurgency
- **Maharashtra (1986–1987)**
In July 1985 his daughter Gitanjali and her husband, the Congress member of Parliament Lalit Maken, were shot dead in Delhi by Sikh militants.
Vice-President and President
He was elected Vice-President unopposed in 1987. As chairman of the Rajya Sabha he was known for his insistence on the dignity of the House; on one occasion he wept at the disorder in it.
He was elected President in July 1992. In December that year, when the mosque at Ayodhya was demolished, he issued a statement condemning it.
The general election of 1996 produced no majority. He invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the largest party, who resigned after thirteen days. He then swore in H. D. Deve Gowda and, in April 1997, I. K. Gujral.
Scholar
He wrote on law, the Congress, Indian thought and world affairs, edited journals in several languages and received many honorary degrees. Lincoln’s Inn made him an honorary bencher, and Cambridge an honorary doctor of law. He was known for his courtesy and his deep religious feeling, and for visiting the shrines of every faith.
Death
He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on 26 December 1999. He was survived by his wife, Vimala, who had been a legislator in Madhya Pradesh, and by two sons and a daughter.
Among his predecessors in the office was Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
Featured image: Shankar Dayal Sharma, ninth President of India. Photo by India Post, Government of India, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
