Asaf Ali

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with various people called Asif Ali.

Asaf Ali
Fazal Ali
In office
21 June 1948 – 5 May 1951
Chief MinisterHarekrushna Mahatab
Nabakrushna Choudhuri
Preceded byKailash Nath Katju
Succeeded byV. P. Menon (Acting)
1st Ambassador of India to the United States
In office
1947–1948
Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru
Preceded byOffice Established
Succeeded byBenegal Rama Rau
Personal details
Born11 May 1888
British India
Died2 April 1953(1953-04-02) (aged 64)
Bern, Switzerland
Spouse
​
(m. 1928)​
Alma materSt. Stephen's College, Delhi
OccupationLawyer, Activist

Asaf Ali (11 May 1888

Indian Ambassador to the United States. He also served as the Governor of Odisha
.

Education

Asaf Ali was educated at St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He was called to bar from Lincoln's Inn in England.

Indian National Movement

In 1914, the British attack on the

Privy Council
. He saw this as an act of non-cooperation and returned to India in December 1914. Upon his return to India, Asaf Ali became heavily involved in the nationalist movement.

He was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1935 as a member of the Muslim Nationalist Party. He then became significant as a Congress member and was appointed deputy leader.[2]

The last of several spells of imprisonment which Asaf Ali courted during the freedom movement was in the wake of the 'Quit India' resolution adopted by the All India Congress Committee in August 1942. He was detained at Ahmednagar Fort jail along with Jawaharlal Nehru and other members of the Congress Working Committee.[3]

Post 1946

Ali in 1949
Ali on a 1989 stamp of India

He was in charge of the

Indian Ambassador to the United States
from February 1947 to mid-April 1947.

Post independence

Asaf Ali was first Indian Ambassador to United States. He was appointed governor of Odisha for two terms and later, Indian Ambassador to Switzerland.

Legal career

Asaf Ali rose to become one of the most respected lawyers in the country.[4] He defended Batukeshwar Dutt as a lawyer.[5]

In 1945, Ali came to be the convener of the

INA defence team established by the Congress for the defense of the officers of the Indian National Army charged with treason later in November 1945.[6]

Bhagat Singh was charged with attempt to murder under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code. Asaf Ali, a member of the Congress Party was his lawyer.[7]

Personal life

In 1928, he married

Hindu) and age difference (Aruna was 20 years junior to him). She is widely remembered for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942. Later Aruna Asaf Ali was honored with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, for her work.[8]

Death and legacy

Ali died in office in Bern on 2 April 1953,[9] while serving as India's ambassador to Switzerland. In 1989, India Post brought out a stamp in his honor.[3]

References

  1. ISBN 81-202-0398-4
    . p. 36.
  2. ^ M. Asaf Ali | Making Britain. Open.ac.uk. Retrieved on 7 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b Asaf Ali. Indianpost.com (2 April 1953). Retrieved on 2018-12-07.
  4. ^ Historical Trials (2008). "The Trial of Bhagat Singh". India Law Journal. 1 (3).
  5. ^ Mahotsav, Amrit. "Asaf Ali Park". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  6. ^ Lawyers in the Indian Freedom Movement « The Bar Council of India. Barcouncilofindia.org. Retrieved on 7 December 2018.
  7. ^ Mahotsav, Amrit. "Asaf Ali". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  8. ^ Aruna Asaf Ali's 20th death anniversary: Some facts about the Grand Old Lady of Independence – Education Today News Archived 11 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Indiatoday.intoday.in (29 July 2016). Retrieved on 2018-12-07.
  9. ^ "Asaf Ali Dead". The Indian Express. 3 April 1953. Retrieved 18 July 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asaf Ali.
Political offices
Preceded by
None
 Indian Ambassador to the United States
1947–1948 		Succeeded by
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