NDA President Candidate An Advocate-On-Record At SC

Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind named as ruling NDA’s candidate for the post of President yesterday is an Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court since 1978.

According to the apex court website, his AoR code is 567.

If elected, Kovind, a known dalit figure in BJP circle will become the 14th President after the incumbent Pranab Mukherjee retires onJuly 24.

A commerce graduate and LLB from the Kanpur University in Uttar Pradesh, Kovind has been a successful lawyer.

He practised in the Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979 and was the central government's standing counsel in the Supreme Court from 1980 to 1993. Kovind became an Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court of India in 1978.

He practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court for about 16 years until 1993. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1994 from Uttar Pradesh and served two consecutive terms till March, 2006. In Parliament, Kovind was a member of many important committees, especially the parliamentary committee on the welfare of scheduled castes/tribes, the parliamentary panel on social justice and empowerment and the committee on law and justice.

Kovind joined a stir by SC/ST employees when in 1997 certain orders were issued by the Centre which adversely affected their interests. These orders were later declared null and void after the passage of three amendments in the Constitution during the rule of the first NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

TOOK LEAD IN FREE LEGAL AID

As an advocate, Kovind took the lead in providing free legal aid to weaker sections, especially the SC/ST women, and poor and needy girls under the aegis of the Free Legal Aid Society in Delhi. Kovind is also known for his work in the field of education. He has served as member on the board of management of the Dr BR Ambedkar University, Lucknow.

He was also a member of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. He has also represented India in the United Nations and addressed the UN General Assembly in October, 2002. As a member of Parliament, Kovind visited Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom and the USA. As an MP, Kovind emphasised on the development of basic infrastructure for education in rural areas and helped in construction of school buildings under the MPLAD scheme. Kovind was born on October 1, 1945 at Kanpur (rural) in Uttar Pradesh. He was married to Savita in 1974 and the couple have a son and a daughter.