Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 5: Former Lok Sabha Secretary General and noted constitutional expert Dr Subhash C Kashyap passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness at his residence in New Delhi. He was 97.
According to Lok Sabha Secretariat officials, Kashyap breathed his last at around 10 am due to cardio-pulmonary arrest. He had been suffering from age-related ailments. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
A distinguished scholar and authority on constitutional and parliamentary affairs, Kashyap served as Secretary General of the Lok Sabha from 1983 to 1990. During a parliamentary career spanning over 37 years, he witnessed the functioning of the House from the first Lok Sabha under Jawaharlal Nehru to the ninth Lok Sabha.
Born in 1929 in Bijnor district of present-day Uttar Pradesh, Kashyap actively participated in the freedom movement during his youth. Before joining Parliament, he worked as a journalist, taught at the University of Allahabad and also received legal training as an advocate.
Kashyap authored more than 100 books on constitutional, legal and parliamentary subjects and was widely regarded as one of India's foremost constitutional thinkers. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in recognition of his contributions to public affairs and constitutional studies.
In recent years, he served as a member of the high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind on the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' initiative. He had also played a key role in the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed grief over his demise, recalling his immense contribution to constitutional scholarship, parliamentary democracy and democratic institutions in the country.
Leaders across the political spectrum described his passing as a major loss to India's constitutional and parliamentary landscape.