From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Jagdeep Dhankar (71) on Thursday became the Vice-President of India and as such ex-officio the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
A renowned Supreme Court lawyer and former West Bengal Governor, Dhankar was administered the oath of office President Droupadi Murmu at a swearing-in ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Prior to the oath taking, he visited Rajghat in the morning and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. “Felt blessed, inspired and motivated to be ever in service of Bharat in serene sublimity of Raj Ghat while paying respects to Pujya Bapu,” he tweeted.
Born in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, Dhankar began his professional carred as a lawyer and despite being the first generational professional, he rose to be among the top legal experts in the country. Designated as a senior advocate in 1990 by the Rajasthan High Court, he praced primarily in the Supreme Court as also in various High Courts.
During his legal career, Shri Dhankhar was the youngest person to be elected as the President of the Rajasthan High Court Bar Association, Jaipur in 1987. A year later, he also became a Member of the Rajasthan Bar Council in 1988. He became the West Bengal Governor on July 30, 2019 and kept Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on her toes all the time.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989 from Jhunjhunu. He also served as a Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in 1990. In 1993, he was elected to the Rajasthan Assembly from Kishangarh in Ajmer district. He is married to Dr Sudesh Dhankar with one daughter, Mrs Kamna.
