Bantwal Vaikunta Baliga

Bantwal Vaikunta Baliga (1895–1968) was a Konkani lawyer who played an active role in Indian governance and politics. He was actively involved in India’s struggle for freedom and worked several times with Mahatma Gandhi. He was elected as MLA and subsequently became the Law Minister and Speaker of Mysore State Assembly. He died while he was the Speaker of Mysore State assembly. His term as Speaker spanned from March 1962 to June 1968. He is remembered for his parliamentary acumen, knowledge of legislative business, and understanding of parliamentary procedure.[1] As the Speaker he was known to be very strict in conducting the House proceedings.

He was also the founder president of Karnataka Library Association.[2]

The Vaikunta Baliga College of Law was established in the year 1957 and is named after Late Sri. Bantwal Vaikunta Baliga, a legal luminary and then minister of Law, Government of Mysore.[3]

He was born on 10 April 1895 at Bantwal, sixteen miles from Mangalore. He did his early schooling in the Venkataramana school, and the Basel Evangelical Mission school in Mangalore.[4] After clearing his intermediate examinations in Arts from St. Aloysius College, he went to Madras for higher education and passed from the Pachaiyappa's College Chennai and the University Examinations securing MacDonald Gold Medal for the year 1916-17. He studied Law in the Law College at Madras and set up practice in Mangalore.

He joined the Canara Banking Corporation Ltd., (later become Corporation Bank) as a Director in about 1926 and continued as a Director till 1957, resigning the Directorship consequent upon the acceptance of a seat in the Mysore Cabinet.

He was also the Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canara Public Conveyance Company, Limited. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canara Mutual Assurance Company, Limited, till it was nationalized.

He was the Inaugural President of the Academy of General Education at Manipal which later became Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He delivered the Inaugural Convocation address at Kasturba Medical College wherein he said "One should not be surprised if by the grace of God and the effort of man, Manipal goes down in history as a modern Navadwip of Gauranga days or Kashi Vidyapeet of old. One need not get disheartened by the small beginnings of the institution. It is pregnant with possibilities. Great things have all come out from small and humble beginnings."

He was an Honorary Life Member of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce for services rendered in establishing the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and was the President of the Chamber for one year. He was a member of the Council of the Management of the Canara High School and the associated group of institutions.

He was the Vice-President and later, the President of Iswarananda Mahila Sevashram at Mangalore, an organization which worked towards the upliftment of women.

He served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Investment Trust, Ltd.(now defunct), and the President of Deenabandhu Seva Sangha (now defunct), Mangalore; a member of the District Board and the Leader of the Congress Party in 1942 and resigned membership and came out of the Board.

He was elected a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly and was a member of the Hospital Advisory Committee in Mangalore and a member of the Development Board of South Kanara. He was elected Legislative Assembly from the Mangalore-1 Constituency in the 1957 General Elections and was minister for Labor and Legal Affairs from April 1957 to May 1958; was again Minister for Law and Labor from February 1961 to March 1962. He has been re-elected to the Mysore Legislative Assembly General Elections from Belthangady Constituency in 1967.

Baliga married Sharada (nee Karkal Gowri Rao). They had 4 sons and 5 daughters. One of his sons Ram Krishna Baliga, was the Founder of the Electronic City in Bangalore.