Acquisition of the private paper collection of J.P. Goyal

Acquisition of the private paper collection of J.P. Goyal

National Archives of India is the custodian of the non current records of the Government of India and holds them in trust for the use of administrators and researchers as per the provision of Public Record Act 1993. As a premier archival Institution, National Archives of India plays a key Role in guiding and shaping archival consciousness. Apart from the vast collection of public records, NAI has rich and ever-growing collection of private papers of eminent Indians from all walks of life, who have made who have made significant contribution to our nation.

Shri J.P. Goyal, eminent Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha, 1982–88). He played a pivotal role in several landmark legal cases in India’s history, most notably as principal advocate for Shri Raj Narain in the historic election petition against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which led to the declaration of Emergency in 1975. He also met leaders like Shri Asoka Mehta, Shri Chandra Shekhar, and Shri Biju Patnaik.

During the Emergency, he actively met Opposition leaders in jail and those underground, becoming a key contact for their families. He was the first to confirm the whereabouts of Shri Jayaprakash Narayan at PGI Hospital, Chandigarh, and secured an interview with him. He was also briefly counsel for Shri Jayaprakash Narayan during his imprisonment during the Emergency (1975). Shri Goyal’s legal acumen was instrumental in safeguarding the Kesavananda Bharati judgement of 1973, which protected the basic structure of the Constitution.These accounts are detailed in Saving India from Indira: Untold Story of the Emergency: Memoirs of J.P. Goyal.

Shri J.P. Goyal was born on 21 December 1926 at Nala village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. (Since 2011, Nala village is part of the new district of Shamli.) After receiving education in his village school and nearby towns of Kandhla and Baraut, he continued his education at the Allahabad and Lucknow Universities, from where he received M.A. (Economics) and LL.B. degrees, respectively. In 1952, he was enrolled as a lawyer at Allahabad High Court. He began practicing in the Supreme Court of India in 1959, became Advocate-on-Record, and was designated as Senior Advocate in 1979 by the Supreme Court of India, where he continued to practice until his demise on 11 September 2013. He was elected as a Member of the Rajya Sabha as a candidate of the Lok Dal from Uttar Pradesh in 1982.

Throughout his nearly six-decade career, he was consulted on matters of election law, constitutional issues, and fundamental rights, and was associated with leading political figures including Ram Manohar Lohia, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Charan Singh, and Raj Narain. A committed political and social worker, he served in various capacities in the Samyukta Socialist Party, Lok Dal, and Janata Party, and represented India at the 1984 Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

Shri J.P. Goyal Collection is a valuable record of India’s political and constitutional history, especially the Emergency period. It offers rare insights into landmark legal battles, political resistance, and democratic struggle, serving as an important resource to inspire and educate future generation.

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