Kesari Chapter 2: Meet CS Nair, Celebrated Lawyer Played By Akshay Kumar Who Rattled British Empire

The teaser of Akshay Kumar’s much-awaited film, Kesari Chapter 2, is out, and the actor is receiving amazing reviews for his presence. While the film, Kesari, released in 2019, was inspired by the historic Battle of Saragarhi, the latest instalment, Kesari Chapter 2, portrays the brutal Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 and its aftermath.

Kesari Chapter 2 is adapted from the book, The Case That Shook The Empire, written by Pushpa Palat and Raghu Palat, and also features R Madhavan and Ananya Panday. The teaser begins with the recreation of the horrors of the Jallianwala Bagh on April 3 in Amritsar. Over 15,000 Indians gathered to protest the Rowlatt Act peacefully were brutally killed after Reginald Dyer, a British Brigadier-General, ordered soldiers to fire on the unarmed crowd.

In the film, Akshay Kumar plays the role of the celebrated lawyer, Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, who not only took a stand against the killings but also rattled the British empire. He not only gave up his coveted position in the Viceroy’s Executive Council but also raised his voice against the British atrocities. Let us read on to learn who the firebrand lawyer, Sir CS Nair, was.

Sir CS Nair was the first Indian to be appointed advocate general of the Madras government

Born in 1857 in the village of Mankara, Palakkad, Kerala, in an aristocratic family, he did his schooling in an English medium school in his hometown. After his schooling, he joined the Presidency College, Madras. In the 1870s, Nair pursued his law degree from Madras Law College and began his career in the Madras High Court.

In 1887, he was elected as the president of the Indian National Congress. He became the first Indian to be appointed advocate general of the Madras government in 1907 and later became the judge at the same court.

CS Nair resigned from the Viceroy’s Executive Council

At the time of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, CS Nair served as Education Minister and the sole Indian representative in the Viceroy’s Executive Council, which was a big honour for any Indian. When the massacre happened, the freedom of the press was curtailed in Punjab. The Britishers distorted many facts about the events. But when the news reached CS Nair, he was deeply disturbed. Outraged by the act, CS Nair decided to resign from the Executive Council as an act of protest. In his letter, he wrote,

“If to govern a country, it is necessary that innocent persons should be slaughtered…and that any civilian officer may, at any time, call in the military and the two together may butcher the people as at Jallianwala Bagh, the country is not worth living in.”

CS Nair refused to render an apology to Michael O’Dwyer

CS Nair's resignation shocked the British, which led to the revocation of martial law in Punjab. In 1922, CS Nair wrote a book, Gandhi and Anarchy, in which he accused Michael O’Dwyer of abetting the atrocities during the massacre. Michael O’Dwyer was the lieutenant Government of Punjab, and by that time, he had returned to England after being dismissed.

Nair’s accusation got him a libel suit from Michael O’Dwyer, which was heard in the High Court in London. The judge who heard the case was prejudiced against the Indian defendant. The case ran for five weeks and was the longest in court’s history. Since the case didn’t have a unanimous verdict, Nair was offered two choices: provide an apology to O’Dwyer or a sum of 7,500 pounds, and he chose the latter. The film, Kesari Chapter 2 is based on the case.

Though the case was not in CS Nair’s favour, his efforts to bring the massacre into light saw immediate effects. From the abolishment of press censorship and martial law to the investigation into the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the firebrand lawyer CS Nair’s fight made him a poignant figure.

Also Read: Who Is Justice Yashwant Varma? Legal Luminary Now Under Fire After Unaccounted Cash Found At Home

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