Justice Minister Shailesh Vara MP presented Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with a certificate reinstating Shyamji Krishna Varma to the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court which determine who can practice law at the Bar of England and Wales.
Shyamji Krishna Varma was the first Indian national to be called to the Bar in 1884. However, he was disbarred by the Inner Temple more than a century ago following a letter he wrote to The Times newspaper advocating Indian home rule. Prime Minister Modi is a great admirer of Shyamji Krishna Varma and tweets about him every year on the anniversary of his birthday. He also travelled to Switzerland in 2003 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat to repatriate the ashes of Mr Varma and his wife, Bhanumati Krishnavarma, who wished only to return to India once it was a free country. The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple recognised that a miscarriage of justice had taken place and the presentation was made at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the presence of the Prime Minister, David Cameron and Mr Patrick Maddams, Sub-Treasurer for the Inner Temple.
Mr Vara said, “I am delighted that Shyamji Krishna Varma has been posthumously reinstated to the Bar. It is the right thing to do. He was from the Indian state of Gujarat, and as Britain’s first Gujarati Minister, and a lawyer myself, I am particularly pleased at his reinstatement. Given that he is admired by Prime Minister Modi and millions of fellow Indians, it is fitting that the presentation of the reinstatement certificate was made to Prime Minister Modi on his historic visit to Britain.”
