During a recent speech at ITM Gwalior, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha sparked controversy by mentioning Mahatma Gandhi’s educational qualification.
While Sinha acknowledged that Gandhi did not hold a law degree, he emphasized that Gandhi was still qualified for law practice and had a deep understanding of education. Sinha urged students to focus on the real meaning of education rather than simply obtaining degrees.
However, his comments drew backlash from various quarters and he faced criticism online. In response, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi sent a book authored by Gandhi to Sinha, along with a sharp comment on his statement.
Mahatma Gandhi studied law
According to a report by BBC Hindi, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha recently claimed that Mahatma Gandhi did not have a law degree, but was only a diploma holder in law. However, documents from the National Gandhi Museum Refute Sinha’s claims.
The documents reveal that Mahatma Gandhi studied law at the Inner Temple, a law college affiliated to the University of London, and was issued a certificate of bar-at-law in 1891.
Additionally, there is a document signed by Gandhi in front of the bar, as well as a document of his admission to the Inner Temple, with the number 7910, which includes admission expenses, stamp duty, and a mention of the fee to attend lectures.
After completing his law studies in London, Gandhi returned to India and began practicing law in the Bombay High Court.
According to documents obtained by the BBC from the National Gandhi Museum, Mahatma Gandhi submitted an application in 1891 to start practicing in the Bombay High Court, which was signed by him.
However, he did not find success there and went to Rajkot to practice in the Kathiawar Political Agency, where he was allowed to practice. But even there, he did not have much success.
In 1893, he was called to South Africa to fight the cases of a Muslim businessman, Dada Abdullah, and his cousin. Gandhi arrived in South Africa in April 1893 at the age of 23 to become a lawyer for Abdullah’s cousin.
Tushar Gandhi grandson of Mahatma Gandhi reacted
Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, took to Twitter to refute Manoj Sinha’s statement regarding Gandhi’s degrees.
In a tweet, he wrote, “M. K. Gandhi passed 2 Matrics 1 from Alfred High School Rajkot, 2nd it’s equivalent in London, British Matriculation. He acquired, by studying & passing exams a Law Degree from Inner Temple, a law College affiliated to London University”
“Gandhiji received two diplomas one after the other. One in Latin and the other in French.”
In another tweet, he wrote, “I have dispatched a copy of Bapu’s Autobiography to Rajbhavan Jammu with the hope that if the Deputy Governor can read he will educate himself.”
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