Rajni Patel

Rajni Patel (9 January 1915 – 3 May 1982) was an Indian politician and barrister. He is well known for being a member of the group of top lawyers that defended Naval Commander Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati in the Prem Ahuja Murder case.

Rajni Patel was real-cousin of Dr. Chandrakant T Patel-a great cotton scientist who invented world's first hybrid cotton in the world. Rajni Patel is grandfather of Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel and actor Ashmit Patel.

Life

He was born in Sarsa, near Anand, in Bombay Presidency, British India on 9 January 1915. He participated in the Swadeshi Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi and was jailed in his early teens for picketing outside liquor shops. He went to the UK for higher studies in the early 1930s. In 1939, he qualified as a barrister from London In London, he came in contact with Jawaharlal Nehru who encouraged Rajni to travel to the US and other places to gather support for the Indian independence movement. When Rajni returned to Mumbai by ship, Nehru stood at the Gateway of India to receive him. However, the British authorities did not permit him to disembark and instead arrested him on the ship and took him to Nashik jail. Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel is his granddaughter.