Kapil Sibal is a famous Indian politician. Before his resignation on 16 May 2022, he had served the Indian National Congress (INC) for more than three decades. He has also been a Union Minister. Kapil Sibal is also a Supreme Court lawyer.
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Wiki/Biography
Kapil Sibal was born on 8 August 1948 (age 75 years; as in 2023) in Jalandhar, Punjab. His zodiac sign is Leo. He did his schooling from St. John’s High School, Chandigarh. He moved to Delhi in 1964. He joined St. Stephen’s College, Delhi to study Bachelor of Laws. After completing LLB in 1969, he also did MA in History from St. Stephen’s. He joined the Bar Association in 1972. He also attempted and passed the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination in 1973, but declined the offer. He started his company in 1973. He then went to Cambridge, USA to pursue postgraduate studies in law from Harvard Business School. After completing his LLM in 1977, he returned to India and started practicing law. In 1989, he was designated as a Senior Counsel. In 1989, he was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General of India. He was also the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association three times (1995–96, 1997–1998 and 2001–2002).
Kapil Sibal as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the first time in July 1998. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha because over the years he had acquired a reputation as a constitutional lawyer. Over the years, he held many ministerial positions and took some very important decisions and passed many acts which were important for the nation.
Kapil Sibal addressing a press conference
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 8″
Eye colour: brown
Hair Colour: White
Kapil Sibal
Family, Caste and Wife
Kapil Sibal belongs to Khatri family. After partition in 1947, his family came to India. He was born to Hari Lal Sibal and Kailash Rani Sibal. His father was a renowned lawyer and was highly respected throughout India. He was famously called The Living Legend of Law. His father was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to public service. He has 3 elder brothers, Virendra Sibal, Jitendra Sibal and Kanwal Sibal. He has a sister, Asha Nanda.
Kapil Sibal’s father Hira Lal Sibal receiving Padma Bhushan.
Kapil Sibal’s mother Kailash Rani Sibal
Kapil Sibal’s brother Kanwal Sibal is a former IFS officer and former Foreign Secretary of India.
Kanwal Sibal, brother of Kapil Sibal
On 13 April 1973, he married Neena Sibal. Neena was in the Indian Foreign Service. They had two sons, Amit Sibal and Akhil Sibal; Both of them are also lawyers. Nina died in New York on June 30, 2000, after suffering a long illness from breast cancer.
Kapil Sibal’s first wife Neena Sibal
Kapil Sibal with his son Akhil Sibal and daughter-in-law Shivani
Kapil Sibal married Promila Sibal for the second time in 2005. She is a businesswoman.
Kapil Sibal with his second wife Promila Sibal
political career
Kapil Sibal’s political career began in 1998 after he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Indian National Congress (INC). He was appointed as the Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party from 2000 to 2002. He was a member of the Trade Advisory Committee. Member of the Home Affairs Committee in August 2001 and 2002. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2004 and was appointed as the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in the Manmohan Singh government. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 and appointed as the Union Minister of Human Resource Development. On 19 January 2011, he was appointed as the Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology. In May 2013, he was given additional charge of the Ministry of Law and Justice. On 5 May 2016, he was elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh. On 16 May 2022, he resigned from the Indian National Congress. Filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha election as an independent candidate on 25 May 2022; His candidature was supported by the Samajwadi Party.
Kapil Sibal’s first day as Union Minister
controversies
- In 2007, Kapil Sibal was accused of being involved in the Vodafone tax scandal. Vodafone was hit by tax disputes and discrepancies worth Rs 11,000 crore over its purchase of Hutchison Essar Telecom Services in April 2007. He was accused of striking an out-of-court settlement with Vodafone.
- In 2011, Kapil Sibal said that there was zero loss to the national exchequer in 2G spectrum and it caused no pressure on the government. After his statement, anger spread among the people. Ultimately Sibal had to withdraw his statement.
- When he was the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology in 2011, he passed an act that made it possible for the Government of India to monitor and regulate all content on the Internet. After the decision, massive protests took place. Kapil Sibal’s website was hacked by a hacker group named Hackers Anonymous and the description about him was changed, calling him retarded. The government soon withdrew the decision after unrest and debate about freedom of expression and freedom on the Internet.
Kapil Sibal’s website hacked
Address
C-1, Maharani Bagh, New Delhi
Car and Bike Collection
Kapil Sibal owns many cars like Mercedes GLC, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Sonata and Suzuki Jeep. He also has 2 bikes – a Royal Enfield Bullet and a Hero Honda Splendor.
property and properties
Movable assets: Rs 38.77 crore (as of 2015) Cash: Rs 3.10 lakh, Bank deposits: Rs 11.29 crore, Jewellery: Rs 35.70 lakh
Immovable property: Rs 136.13 crore (as of 2015) Agricultural land: Rs 27.5 crore Non-agricultural land: Rs 4 crore Commercial buildings: Rs 2.78 crore Residential buildings: Rs 12.03 crore Other properties: Rs 53 crore
Salary and Net Worth
Salary: Rs 1 lakh per month + allowances (as Rajya Sabha member)
Net Worth: INR 212 Crore (as of 2015)
fact
- He was the sole defense counsel in the historic impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice V. Ramaswamy in 1993.
- Sibal initiated the process of news channels and entertainment channels receiving separate broadcasts instead of Doordarshan’s broadcast. This brought many new people into the television field.
- Kapil Sibal was on an expedition to Antarctica in 2005. He was the first Indian minister and second minister in the world to visit Antarctica. He was there to inaugurate the first Indian Research and Development Station in Antarctica.
Kapil Sibal before leaving for Antarctica
- Kapil Sibal is a cricket lover. He watches all the matches as much as possible and avoids missing any match. Once he was invited to become a guest commentator during an India-Australia cricket match.
Kapil Sibal playing cricket
- Kapil Sibal has also written the lyrics of two songs from the 2016 film Shorgul, starring Jimmy Shergill, Sanjay Suri and Harshita Bhatt.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn