Sir Manmatha Nath Mukherjee (also spelt Mukherji or Mukerji; 28 October 1874 – 6 December 1942) was a Bengali judge of the

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located in B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court ...

and a distinguished jurist. He was also the Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council and awarded

Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1935. Manmatha Nath was the son-in-law of Bengali scholar Sir

Gooroodas Banerjee Sir Gooroodas Banerjee (also Gurudas or Gurudas Bandyopadhyay, bn, স্যার গুরুদাস ব্যানার্জী; 26 January 1844 – 2 December 1918) was a Bengali Indian judge of the Calcutta High Court. In 1890, he al ...

Early life

Manmatha Nath was born in the village of Jagati in

Nadia district Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north. Nadia district is highly influentia ...

of undivided Bengal, the son of Unadi Nath Mukherjee. Manmatha Nath received his education at the Albert Collegiate School. After passing entrance examination joined in the

Presidency College, Kolkata Presidency University, Kolkata (formerly known as Presidency College, Kolkata) is a second major public state aided research university located in College Street, Kolkata. Considered as one of best colleges when Presidency College was affilia ...

and completed M.A. He further studied Law in

Surendranath Law College Surendranath Law College (''Bengali'' :সুরেন্দ্রনাথ আইন কলেজ) formerly known as ''Ripon College'') is an postgraduate law college affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It was established in Kolkata i ...

(the then

Ripon College, Calcutta Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader and scholar Surendranath Banerjee. The Women's section of the college was founded ...

) and awarded gold medal in ''Thakur'' Law Examination.

Career

In 1924 Mukherjee started work as a junior advocate in Calcutta High Court and uplifted as Judge in 1935. He became popular for some notable, impartial judgements to solve critical disputes such as

Tarakeswar Tarakeswar (pronounced ''Tarokeshwar'') is a famous sacred city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Tarakeswar is called "Babar Dham" or "The city of Shiva". It is one of the major tourist and holy place ...

Temple case. He also became a Bengali Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, President of the Calcutta Literary Society, Since 1926 and President of the Indian Research Institute. After retirement Mukherjee started practice law in

Patna High Court The Patna High Court is the High Court of the state of Bihar. It was established on 9 February 1916 and later affiliated under the Government of India Act 1915. The court is based in Patna, the administrative capital of the state of Bihar, I ...

and social works, organized anti communal campaign in Bengal. He Inaugurated the ''Mandir'' building of

New Delhi Kali Bari New Delhi Kali Bari is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Kali and the center for Bengali culture in New Delhi, India. Established in 1930s, it is situated on Mandir Marg, close to Laxminarayan Temple (Birla Mandir) in Delhi. History After s ...

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

appointed him as Law Secretary for few days considering the outstanding legal knowledge of Mukherjee. He wrote few books on Law.

Awards

In 1935, Mukherjee was knighted. For his exceptional contribution in legal arena,

Nabadwip Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, anciently Nadia or Nudiya, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Famous for Rass fest ...

''Bangabibudhajanani Sabha'' honoured him 'Nyayranjan',

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

''Hindu Mahamandal'' gave the title 'Dharmalankar' and 'Nyadhish' was awarded by

Sanskrit college The Sanskrit College and University (erstwhile Sanskrit College) is a state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It focuses on liberal arts, offering both UG and PG degrees in Ancient Indian and world history, Bengali, English, Sa ...

. A road in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

near

Sealdah Sealdah is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Etymology Jackals (''sheal'' in Bengali) howled around Sealdah. Antiquarians identify it as Shrigaldwipa (Jackal Island). Nearby Beliaghata w ...

was named after him, Justice Manmatha Mukherjee Row.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukherjee, Manmatha Nath 1874 births 1942 deaths Judges of the Calcutta High Court Presidency University, Kolkata alumni University of Calcutta alumni Knights Bachelor Indian Knights Bachelor Judges in British India