Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad is a prominent Indian politician and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), representing Patna Sahib in Bihar. Born on August 30, 1954, in Patna, Bihar, he comes from a family deeply rooted in politics and law. His father, Thakur Prasad, was a senior advocate at Patna High Court and one of the founding members of Jan Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP. Ravi Shankar Prasad followed in his father’s footsteps, developing an interest in law and politics from an early age.
Prasad completed his post-graduation in Political Science and his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) from Patna University. During his student years, he was actively involved in debates and student politics, serving as Assistant General Secretary of the Students’ Union at Patna University. He was also an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and participated in the Total Revolution movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan, protesting against the Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
After completing his education, Prasad started practicing law at the Patna High Court in 1980 and was designated a senior advocate by the court in 1999. In 2000, he became a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India. He played key legal roles in significant cases, including the Fodder Scam and the Ayodhya Ram Temple dispute, where he represented the deity “Ram Lalla.”
Prasad’s political career took off when he became a member of the BJP National Executive in 1995. He served in multiple ministerial roles during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, including Minister of State for Law and Justice, Information and Broadcasting, and Coal and Mines. In the Narendra Modi government, Prasad held key portfolios such as the Ministry of Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology, and was also the Minister of Law and Justice.
Throughout his political journey, Ravi Shankar Prasad has been a key advocate for India’s digital revolution, working on expanding broadband access to rural areas and promoting e-commerce. He is also known for his efforts to reform Indian law and governance, focusing on issues like speeding up the justice system and preventing the criminalization of politics.
He is married to Dr. Maya Shankar, a historian and professor, and they have two children. Despite facing challenges, including an assassination attempt in 2005, Prasad has remained a strong and influential figure in Indian politics.