H. R. Bhardwaj

Hansraj Bhardwaj (17 May 1937 – 8 March 2020) was an Indian politician. He was Governor of Karnataka from 2009 to 2014. He also was Governor of Kerala from 2012 until 2013. He was a member of the Indian National Congress.

He was the minister of state for nine years and a cabinet minister for law and justice for five years.

At the end of his five-year term in 2014, Governor of Tamil Nadu, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Konijeti Rosaiah replaced Bharadwaj as Governor of Karnataka.^[1]

On 16 January 2012, he was given the job of Governor of Kerala,^[2] which he left on 9 March 2013.

Hansraj Bhardwaj was born on 17 May 1937 in a village in Haryana, India. He studied law and completed his education at Punjab University and the University of Delhi. He became a lawyer and practiced at the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court.

Before becoming a minister, Bhardwaj was known for his work as a legal expert. He worked as a legal advisor to the Indian National Congress party and helped in many important legal cases. In 1982, he was made Minister of State for Law and Justice. Later, he became the Cabinet Minister for Law and Justice under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2009. He worked on legal reforms and helped pass many laws during his time in office.

While serving as Governor of Karnataka, Bhardwaj was sometimes in the news for his strong opinions. He had disagreements with the state government and was known for being active in his role, which is usually a more neutral position. He also briefly held the post of Governor of Kerala.

Bhardwaj was married and had children. He was interested in reading, writing and law-related subjects. He also supported legal education and social justice.

Bhardwaj died of cardiac arrest ^[3] on 8 March 2020 in New Delhi, aged 82.^{[4] [5]}