Sukumar Sen | |
|---|---|
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| 1st Chief Election Commissioner of India | |
| In office 21 March 1950 – 19 December 1958 | |
| Succeeded by | Kalyan Sundaram |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 January 1898 |
| Died | 13 May 1963 (aged 65)[1] |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Gouri Sen |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Presidency College, Calcutta University of London |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Known for | First Election Commissioner of India First Vice-Chancellor of University of Burdwan |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Sukumar Sen (2 January 1898 – 13 May 1963) was an Indian civil servant who was the 1st Chief Election Commissioner of India, serving from 21 March 1950 to 19 December 1958.[2] Under his leadership, the Election Commission successfully administered and oversaw independent India's first two general elections, in 1951–52 and in 1957. He also served as first Chief Election Commissioner in Sudan in 1953.[3]
Sen was born on 2 January 1899 in a Bengali Baidya-Brahmin family. He was the elder or eldest son of a civil servant Akshoy Kumar Sen.[4] He was educated at Presidency College, Kolkata and at the University of London. He was awarded a gold medal in Mathematics at the latter. In 1921, Sen joined the Indian Civil Service, and served in various districts as an ICS officer and as a judge. In 1947, he was appointed Chief Secretary of West Bengal, the senior-most rank that an ICS officer could attain in any state in British India. He was still serving in that capacity when he was sent on deputation as chief election commissioner in 1950.[5] He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan.[6] He married Gouri and had two sons and daughters each with her.[4]
Sen was the elder brother of Ashoke Kumar Sen (1913–1996), Union Law Minister and a noted Indian barrister. Another brother was Amiya Kumar Sen, an eminent doctor, who was the last man to see Rabindranath Tagore alive.[7] It is said that Amiya Sen preserved Tagore's last poem, which he had written down at the poet's dictation, and later donated it to Indian Museum in Kolkata.
- ^ West Bengal Legislative Council Debates. Government of West Bengal. 1963. p. 1–2.
- ^ "Previous Chief Election Commissioners". Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008.
- ^ "The General Election in the Sudan". Parliamentary Affairs. 1953. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a053175. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ a b Reed, Stanley (1950). The Indian And Pakistan Year Book And Who's Who 1950. Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. p. 761. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ History of Services: Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service (as of 1 January 1957). Government of India Press. 1957. p. 166.
- ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Life of Rabindranath Tagore (1932–1941)