Full Name

Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair

Birth

1857, Mankara village, Malabar (now Palakkad, Kerala)

Education

Presidency College, Madras

Legal Mentorship

Started under Sir Horatio Shepherd (later CJ of Madras HC)

Youngest INC President

1897, Indian National Congress (only Malayali ever to hold post)

Major Judicial Roles

Permanent Judge, Madras High Court (1908)

Major Legal Judgements

Advocated for social reforms: upheld inter caste/inter faith marriages, non exclusion of Hindu converts

Recognitions

Companion of Indian Empire (1904); Knighted (1912)

Academic Role

Member of Raleigh University Commission (1902)

Administrative Role

Member, Viceroy Executive Council (1915); handled education

Political Stance

Strong proponent of Indian self-governance

Resignation in Protest

Quit Viceroy Council after Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)

Aftermath of Resignation

Press censorship lifted, martial law withdrawn in Punjab, Hunter Commission formed

Famous Work

Gandhi & Anarchy (1922) Critique of Gandhian methods

Landmark Trial

Defamation case by Michael O Dwyer (1922)

Trial Outcome

Nair lost (11–1 jury decision); refused to apologize; trial galvanized nationalists

Death

1934 at age 77

Date

April 13, 1919 (Baisakhi)

Location

Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab

Incident

Peaceful protest against Rowlatt Act; gathering included women & children

Action Taken

General Dyer ordered troops to open fire without warning

Casualties (official)

379 dead (British estimate), over 1,000 injured

Casualties (Indian estimates)

Over 1,000 dead & 1,200+ wounded

Duration of Firing

10–15 minutes; ~1,650 rounds fired

Exit Situation

Only one narrow exit blocked; trapped crowd

Political Fallout

Widespread outrage across India & Britain

Hunter Commission

Set up to investigate massacre; criticized Dyer but no major punishment

Impact on Nationalism

Intensified freedom movement; Gandhi launched Non Cooperation Movement (1920)

International Reaction

Condemned globally especially by liberal British voices

Legal Impact

Longest running civil trial in British history at time (5.5 weeks).
Exposed deep bias in British judicial system toward colonial officials.
Revealed how colonial powers weaponized defamation law to suppress dissent.

Political Impact (India)

Nair refusal to apologize inspired Indian political leaders.

Triggered widespread public discourse about colonial injustice & denial of fair legal recourse to Indians.
Strengthened Indian calls for Swaraj (self-rule).

Nationalist Sentiment

Galvanized moderate & radical nationalists alike.
Strengthened Indian resolve to challenge British imperialism.
Boosted support for Indian National Congress among legal professionals & intellectuals.

Symbolism of Resistance

Nair became a symbol of intellectual defiance.
His stance showed that Indians could contest colonial narrative on foreign soil.
His courage to take on a senior British official in London raised moral credibility of Indian nationalists.

British Public Reaction

Divided opinions Conservative press supported O Dwyer but many liberal British intellectuals (e.g. Harold Laski) criticized trial outcome.
Embarrassed British legal system in eyes of many.

Media Coverage

Widely reported in both Indian & British newspapers.
Helped circulate details of Jallianwala Bagh & British repression to a global audience.

Literary & Cultural Impact

Nair book Gandhi & Anarchy became controversial but widely read.
Popularized narrative that high-ranking colonial administrators bore direct responsibility for repressive policies.

Colonial Image Damage

Demonstrated to world colonial government lack of accountability.
Reinforced perception of Britain unwillingness to allow truth or justice in colonial matters.

Impact on Michael O’Dwyer

Though he won case he faced intensified public scrutiny.
His role became permanently linked with massacre.
He was assassinated by Udham Singh in 1940 who cited massacre & trial as reasons.

Impact on British-Indian Relations

Worsened already fragile trust between Indian leaders & British authorities.
Encouraged more Indians to align with non-cooperation & civil disobedience.

Position

Lieutenant Governor of Punjab (1913 to 1919)

Policy Stance

Proponent of harsh suppression; supported repressive measures

Role in Jallianwala Bagh

Approved & supported General Dyer’s actions; defended martial law in Punjab

Administrative Actions

Backed Rowlatt Act implementation; cracked down on civil liberties

Post-Massacre Defense

Justified Dyer firing as necessary for order

Defamation Case

Sued Sankaran Nair in 1922 for holding him responsible in his book

Trial Location

London (King Bench Court)

Outcome of Trial

Won by jury majority (11–1); seen as unjust & biased

Assassination

Shot dead by Udham Singh in London (1940) as retribution for massacre

Mahatma Gandhi

Barrister from Inner Temple, London

Leader of Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience & Quit India Movements

Championed non-violence (Satyagraha), led Champaran, Kheda, Dandi Salt March

Father of Nation; global symbol of peace & resistance

Jawaharlal Nehru

Trained barrister at Inner Temple

Leader of Indian National Congress, first PM

Integral in framing foreign policy & secular constitutional vision

Architect of Modern India

B.R. Ambedkar

Barrister at Gray’s Inn; Ph.D. in Law (Columbia)

Drafted Indian Constitution; fought for Dalit rights

Architect of Constitution, led Dalit Buddhist movement

Social reformer; icon of equality & justice

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Studied law in London (Middle Temple)

Led Bardoli Satyagraha; organizer of Kisan movements

Integrated princely states; Iron Man of India

First Home Minister; symbol of unity

Subhas Chandra Bose

Studied law in England; passed ICS (resigned later)

Leader of Forward Bloc & Azad Hind Fauj

Advocated armed resistance; aligned with Axis powers for independence

Hero of revolutionary nationalism

C. Rajagopalachari

Practiced law in Salem, Tamil Nadu

Last Governor-General of India, Congress leader

Vocal critic of partition; founded Swatantra Party

Thinker, writer, first Indian Governor-General

Bipin Chandra Pal

Trained as a lawyer; gave up practice early

Extremist leader of Lal-Bal-Pal trio

Advocated nationalism through press & public oratory

Father of Revolutionary Thought

Lala Lajpat Rai

Studied law in Lahore

Extremist leader; part of Lal-Bal-Pal

Led protests against Simon Commission; injured in police lathi-charge

Lion of Punjab

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Lawyer at Allahabad High Court

President of INC (four times); founder of BHU

Advocate of Hindu nationalism, press freedom

Bharat Ratna; educationist

Motilal Nehru

Successful lawyer at Allahabad HC

Founder of Swaraj Party; father of Jawaharlal Nehru

Advocated self-governance; framed Nehru Report (1928)

Political bridge between moderates & radicals

C. Sankaran Nair

Judge at Madras HC; member of Viceroy's Council

Resigned over Jallianwala Bagh massacre

Fought historic defamation case vs Michael O’Dwyer

Progressive voice in Indian legal history

Dadabhai Naoroji

Legal training in London

First Indian MP in UK Parliament; INC President

Exposed “Drain of Wealth” theory

Grand Old Man of India

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Barrister & economist

Moderate reformer, mentor to Gandhi

Founded Servants of India Society

Symbol of constitutional & social reform

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Practiced law before focusing on politics

Extremist nationalist; “Swaraj is my birthright”

Editor of Kesari & Mahratta; tried for sedition

Father of Indian Unrest

Bhulabhai Desai

Eminent lawyer

Defended INA soldiers in Red Fort trials

Advocate of Indian unity & constitutionalism

Known for Red Fort defense strategy

Asaf Ali

Barrister from London

INA defense team; diplomat post-independence

Served as first Indian Ambassador to USA

Legal & diplomatic pioneer

Birth & Origin

Born in 1857 in an aristocratic Nair family, Mankara village, Palakkad (Kerala)

Born in 1869 in a Modh Bania family, Porbandar (Gujarat)

Legal Background

Presidency College (Madras); trained under Sir Horatio Shepherd; Madras HC Judge

Barrister from Inner Temple (London); practiced in Bombay & South Africa

Temperament

Assertive, outspoken, confrontational with authority; rational & combative

Humble, spiritual, non-confrontational but determined; deeply moralistic

Approach to British Rule

Believed in constitutional resistance; criticized excesses openly but within legal means

Advocated nonviolent civil disobedience; rejected cooperation with colonial institutions

Method of Protest

Resigned from Viceroy’s Council post-Jallianwala Bagh; engaged in defamation trial in London

Launched mass movements: Non-Cooperation, Salt March, Quit India

View on British Justice System

Disillusioned by personal trial experience; saw it as biased & imperial

Believed in appealing to moral conscience of British public

Relation with Congress

Youngest INC President (1897); later distanced due to ideological divergence

Lifelong leader of INC (post-1919); pivotal figure in shaping party direction

Stance on Social Reform

Progressive: supported inter-caste marriage, conversion, women’s rights

Deeply reformist: championed untouchability eradication, rural upliftment

Religious Outlook

Secular-rationalist; respected all religions but not overtly religious

Deeply spiritual; guided by Hindu ethics & Jain-inspired non-violence

Critique of Gandhi

Authored Gandhi & Anarchy (1922), critical of Gandhian tactics

Acknowledged critics but rarely responded; continued mass mobilization

Legacy

Pioneer of liberal constitutional resistance; symbol of principled legal dissent

Father of Nation; global icon of nonviolent resistance

Means vs Ends

Emphasized legal reasoning & institutional engagement

Prioritized moral authority & mass mobilization

Reform Strategy

Top-down reform via elite politics, legislation, judiciary

Bottom-up reform via villages, spinning wheel & fasts

View on British Morality

Distrusted British officials; skeptical of their justice system

Held hope that British public could be morally awakened

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Compare & contrast constitutional nationalism of Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair with mass civil disobedience approach of Mahatma Gandhi.