Ashwani Kumar (born 26 October 1952) is an Indian politician and attorney who formerly served as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha representing the state of Punjab. He formerly served as Union Minister of Law and Justice and Union Minister of State in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. In 1991, at the age of 37, he was appointed one of the youngest Additional Solicitor General of India. He has served as Indian National Congress party's National Spokesperson and Chairman of its Vichar Vibhag. As a legal counsel, he has argued important cases before the Supreme Court of India, including the Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, and has also represented major corporations in international arbitrations. He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha since 2002. He resigned from the Indian National Congress on February 15, 2022. Early life and education Born in Delhi on 26 October 1952, Ashwani Kumar graduated from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Thereafter, he pursued law and earned Bachelor of Laws from Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, and a Master of Philosophy from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. In 2004, he was awarded honorary doctorate in law from Panjab University. Career He has been the Additional Solicitor General of India and is an Associate Tenant as Counsel with the Doughty Street Chambers in London. He is engaged in the advocacy of human rights issues in and out of court. Ministerial responsibilities Ashwani Kumar was the Minister of Law and Justice from 28 October 2012 to 11 May 2013. From 19 January 2011 to 11 May 2013, he was the Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning; Ministry of Science and Technology; and Ministry of Earth Sciences. He was the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs from January to July 2011. Special Envoy to Japan In 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed him as his Special Envoy "to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges with Japan" and prepare for the upcoming visit of Japan's Emperor and the Empress to India. Academia In 2011, Kumar was the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology Forum (STS) at Kyoto, Japan. He was a guest speaker at The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2008. He was a visiting scholar at CSIS, Washington in 2004. In addition to writing a number of scholarly articles on law,