Shri Somnath Chatterjee

Law and civil liberties; industries and problems relating to education

Widely travelled; Member, Indian Parliamentary Delegation to (i) C.P.A. Conference, Fiji, 1983; (ii) European Union countries and the European Parliament, 1988; (iii) I.P.U. Conference, Stockholm, 1992; (iv) Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the UN, New York, 1996 and (v) I.P.U. Conference, Beijing, 1996; led the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to (i) 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Canada, 2004; (ii) 111th Assembly of the IPU in Geneva, 2004; (iii) Japan-October- November 2004, (iv) 112th Assembly of IPU, Manila, April 2005; (v) Trinidad and Tobago, May-June, 2005 and (vi) Turkey, June 2005 (vii) 51st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Fiji Islands, 1-10 September 2005; (viii) 113th Assembly of IPU, Geneva, October, 2005; (ix) 18th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference in Nairobi, January, 2006; (x) CPA Mid-year Ex Co Meeting, Isle of Man, 2006; (xi) attended 100th Anniversary of the Parliamentary Reforms in Finland at Helsinki, 1-4 June, 2006 during which he met the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Edus Kunta; (xii) CPA/Wilton Park Conference, London, June, 2006 and (xiii) led an IPD to Germany in June, 2006 on the invitation of the President of Bundestag (Parliament); it was a bilateral visit during which he also visited Hannover and Berlin; (xiv) led an IPD to the People`s Republic of China from 3-8 July, 2006 during which the Indian Parliament signed its first MOU with its counterpart in China seeking to enhance Parliamentary exchange and cooperation; (xv) led an IPD to 52nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Abuja, Nigeria in September, 2006; and (xvi) led an IPD to Greece from 25 to 28 September, 2006; (xvii) led an IPD to Saudi Arabia from 9 to 13 February, 2007; (xviii) led an IPD to Vietnam from 25 to 27 March, 2007 and (xix) attended the CPA Executive Committee Meeting in Cyprus from 17 to 19 April, 2007.

Senior Advocate, Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court; Senior Government Advocate, Calcutta High Court, 1969-70; has been Chairman/President/Member of various educational institutions, public sector organisations, trade unions, cultural, sports organisations and professional bodies as well as Parliamentary Committees; Chairman, (i) West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd., from 1994 to 2004; (ii) West Bengal Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd., Calcutta upto 1995; (iii) West Bengal Projects Ltd.; (iv) Pulver Ash Project Ltd.; (v) Mayurakshi Cotton Mills upto 1995; (vi) Rural Cancer Society; (vii) Bolpur Sub-divisional Hospital, Bolpur, Birbhum; (viii) Advisory Committee, K.S. Roy T.B. Hospital, Calcutta; (ix) Jadavpur Stadium Committee, Calcutta; (x) Sriniketan Santiniketan Development Authority; President, (i) Managing Committee of Mitra Institution, Bhowanipur Branch, Calcutta; (ii) Governing Body, Bolpur College, Bolpur, Birbhum; (iii) Governing Body, Basirhat College, Basirhat, 24 Parganas (North); (iv) Governing Body, Basantidevi College, Calcutta upto 1997; (v) Governing Body, Bengal Music College, Calcutta; (vi) High Court Employees Association, Calcutta till 1995; (vii) Central Government Forms Press Workers Union, Calcutta; (viii) Union Jute Staff Association, Calcutta; (ix) Biecco Lawrie Employees Union, Calcutta; (x) India Tobacco Workers Union, Calcutta; (xi) K.S. Roy T.B. Hospital Employees Union, Jadavpur, Calcutta; (xii) All India ITC Workers Federation; (xiii) National Federation of Printing Stationery Publication Employees Union, till 1999; (xiv) Chittaranjan Seva Sadan and Cancer Hospital Employees Union, Calcutta; (xv) Calcutta Mint Workers Union, Calcutta; (xvi) Coordination Committee of the Unions and Associations of Mint Workers, Calcutta; (xvii) Federation of NJMC Staff Associations; (xviii) Infusion (India) Workers Union, Calcutta;Member,(i) Senate, University of Calcutta, till 1999; (ii) Syndicate, University of Calcutta, till 1995; (iii) Court, Viswabharati, 1997 and 2000; (iv) Asiatic Society, Calcutta; (v) Supreme Court Bar Association; (vi) Bar Association of India; (vii) Indian Law Institute; (viii) Committee for Courses of Study in Law, University of Burdwan; (ix) Committee on the Reorganisation of Press Council set up by Government of India; (x) General Council, Mitra Institution, Bhowanipur; (xi) International Law Association; (xii) Advisory Council, Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority, Calcutta; (xiii) Steering Committee of the West Bengal Branch of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties and Democratic Rights; (xiv) All India Civil Liberties Council; (xv) Democratic Lawyers Association; (xvi) Bar Association, Calcutta; (xvii) Bar Library, Calcutta; (xviii) Netaji Indoor Stadium Committee, Calcutta; (xix) Programme Advisory Committee, All India Radio, Calcutta, 1980; (xx) Select Committee on Companies Law Amendment Bill; (xxi) Select Committee on Direct Taxes Amendment Bill; (xxii) Select Committee on Constitution (32nd) Amendment Bill; (xxiii) Select Committee on Code of Criminal Procedure Bill; and (xxiv) Select Committee on Central Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill; Connected with various Trade Union Organisations; (xxv)Conferred ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian’ Award, 1996 by Indian Parliamentary Group and honoured with "Congressional Medal of Achievement" by the House of Representatives of the Congress (Parliament) of Philippines, April, 2005; (xxvi) Conferred the Medal of Honour by the Hellenic Parliament of Greece in September 2006; Awarded Honourary Fellowship by Jesus College, Cambridge University, U.K. in December 2006; Conferred the Justice M.G. Ranade Award for outstanding contribution in the field of Parliamentary Democracy in February 2006

Connected with various educational, cultural and professional institutions and trade unions