New DelhiDecember 4, 2025 06:26 PM IST
First published on: Dec 4, 2025 at 06:25 PM IST
Former Mizoram Governor and eminent lawyer Swaraj Kaushal, father of BJP Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj and husband of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, passed away here on Thursday at the age of 73.
Kaushal, a Socialist, had several feathers in his cap, though he generally avoided the limelight. He was designated as a senior advocate in the Supreme Court at just 34 and became the youngest person to become Governor when he was appointed the Governor of Mizoram in 1990. Just 37 years old at the time, he remained in the post till 1993.
Born in 1952 in Solan in present-day Himachal Pradesh, Kaushal went to school in Chandigarh and studied law at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He married Sushma Swaraj, who was to later become Leader of the Opposition and Minister of External Affairs, in 1975.
As a lawyer, he famously defended socialist stalwart George Fernandes in the Baroda dynamite case during the Emergency. “Young socialists of those days looked up to George Fernandes. Kaushal was one among them. He took it upon himself to fight George’s case,” former BJP MP S S Ahluwalia told The Indian Express. At this time, it was his wife Sushma Swaraj who had coined the famous slogan for the 1977 Lok Sabha election – Jail ka faatak tootega, George hamara chhootega (the gates of the jail will break open; our George will be released).
RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari recalled that the couple visited Muzaffarpur to campaign for Fernandes and Sushma Swaraj’s speeches were popular with the electorate, particularly the youth.
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JD(U) leader K C Tyagi said Kaushal and Sushma Swaraj would campaign till late at night for Fernandes. “What stood out in his youth was his adventurism. George was seen as such an adversary by the Emergency regime that shoot-at-sight orders were also issued against him. Yet, to take up his case was a very bold statement on the part of Swaraj Kaushal,” Tyagi told The Indian Express.
In 1979, Kaushal added another feather to his cap, when he secured the release of Mizo leader Laldenga in a conspiracy case. He then acted as an adviser to the underground Mizo National Front, also taking part in its negotiations with the Government that led to the historic Mizoram Peace Accord of 1986, when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.
Ahluwalia said as a young lawyer, Kaushal contributed to ending the two-decade insurgency in Mizoram. The reward came soon: he became advocate general of Mizoram in 1987 at just 34, thus becoming the youngest advocate general in the country. Between 1998 and 2004, he served as an MP from the Haryana Vikas Party, representing Haryana in the Rajya Sabha.
Apart from his legal and political side, Swaraj had a little known cultural side too, recalls Ahluwalia. “He loved the Punjab language and was a big admirer of famous Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi. He spoke excellent Punjabi. Despite his successes as a lawyer, he loved to lead a simple life and loved rural culture,” Ahluwalia said.
The former BJP MP recalled that Kaushal never spoke or argued aggressively. Even when someone was wrong, Kaushal would hear them out in full and then politely correct them. “He was a good father, husband and friend. He was a good advisor. His political and legal accomplishments apart, these were his great personal qualities.”
Tributes poured in for Kaushal as the news of his death became public. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained” by Kaushal’s passing. “He distinguished himself as a lawyer and a person who believed in using the legal profession to improve the lives of the underprivileged. He became India’s youngest Governor and left a lasting impression on the people of Mizoram during his gubernatorial tenure. His insights as a Parliamentarian were also noteworthy. My thoughts are with his daughter Bansuri and the other family members in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” Modi said in a post on X.
BJP MP Baijayant Panda paid tributes to Kaushal. “Paid my last respects to former Governor of Mizoram, former Rajya Sabha MP and Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, Swaraj Kaushal. I knew him well. My heartfelt condolences to Bansuri Swaraj and the bereaved family. Prayers for his sadgati. Om Shanti,” he wrote on X.