Veteran Congress leader Sheila Kaul passes away at 101

Former Union minister Sheila Kaul, a sister-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru and oldest surviving former Parliamentarian, has died, aged 101.

A former Himachal Pradesh Governor, Kaul died on Saturday evening in her sleep at her daughter Deepa Kaul’s residence in Ghaziabad.

A five-time MP, Kaul was born on February 7, 1915. She was an arts graduate from Lahore Women’s College and had a degree in teaching from Sir Ganga Ram Training College, Lahore. She was married to renowned botanist Kailash Nath Kaul.

Kaul is survived by sons Gautam Kaul, a retired IPS officer, and Vikram Kaul, an international sports administrator, besides daughter Deepa Kaul, a former information minister in Uttar Pradesh.

Her mortal remains were consigned to flames at 4:30 pm on Sunday in the presence of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and several other party leaders.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed deep sorrow at the passing away of Kaul. Extending condolences to her friends and family, Gandhi eulogised her role as an MP, Union minister and governor in public life extending over five decades.

Union urban development minister in P V Narasimha Rao’s cabinet, Kaul was accused making out-of-turn allotment of government accommodations in return for monetary gains between 1992 and 1995.

Kaul did not appear before a court hearing the case on the plea that she was suffering from various ailments and confined to bed since 2012. She had not been seen in public for quite some time.

Image: Congress president Sonia Gandhi paying her respects at the funeral of Sheila Kaul. Photograph: INCIndia/Twitter