Baron Sinha
Encyclopedia
Baron Sinha, of Raipur in the Presidency of Bengal, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. It was created in 1919 for Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha
, who was the first India
n and only person of colour ever to be elevated to the hereditary peerage. There was controversy over the succession on his death in 1928. He ought to have been succeeded in his title by his first son, Aroon Kumar Sinha. However, Aroon Sinha had been born at a time when there was no system of registration of births and marriages in India, so he was unable to prove his claim to the title to the satisfaction of the House of Lords
at that time.
In 1936, Aroon Sinha presented petition for a writ of summons to the House of Lords. The petition was referred to the Committee for Privileges on 27 June 1938, and a Commission was appointed to take evidence in Calcutta, on this birth and marriage. Ultimately, on 25 July 1939, the Committee for Privileges decided that Lord Sinha had succeeded in his claim. The decision remarks that the decision was not precedent for a peer who had legally married two wives (at the same time), and that there is no British law on heirship in the case of a polygamous marriage; but in this case that difficulty did not arise - and in fact the first Lord Sinha had belonged to the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
, a variety of Hinduism which required monogamy.
More controversy followed in the 1950s, when Lord Sinha was refused a British passport
: eventually, he was issued a passport in 1955 which described him as a British subject. On his death the title passed to his eldest son, the third baron and then to his grandson, the fourth Baron Sinha, who died without surviving male issue. The fifth baron was a younger son of the second Baron Sinha; the title is held by the latter's eldest son, the sixth Baron.
The heir presumptive
is the present holder's brother the Hon. Dilip Kumar Sinha (b. 1967).
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. It was created in 1919 for Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha
Satyendra Prasanno Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha
Satyendra Prasanno Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha of Raipur KCSI PC KC was a prominent lawyer and statesman in British India.-Background and education:...
, who was the first India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and only person of colour ever to be elevated to the hereditary peerage. There was controversy over the succession on his death in 1928. He ought to have been succeeded in his title by his first son, Aroon Kumar Sinha. However, Aroon Sinha had been born at a time when there was no system of registration of births and marriages in India, so he was unable to prove his claim to the title to the satisfaction of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
at that time.
In 1936, Aroon Sinha presented petition for a writ of summons to the House of Lords. The petition was referred to the Committee for Privileges on 27 June 1938, and a Commission was appointed to take evidence in Calcutta, on this birth and marriage. Ultimately, on 25 July 1939, the Committee for Privileges decided that Lord Sinha had succeeded in his claim. The decision remarks that the decision was not precedent for a peer who had legally married two wives (at the same time), and that there is no British law on heirship in the case of a polygamous marriage; but in this case that difficulty did not arise - and in fact the first Lord Sinha had belonged to the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj is a religious division of Brahmoism formed as a result of 2 schisms in the Brahmo Samaj in 1866 and 1878 respectively.-The Brahmo Samaj:...
, a variety of Hinduism which required monogamy.
More controversy followed in the 1950s, when Lord Sinha was refused a British passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
: eventually, he was issued a passport in 1955 which described him as a British subject. On his death the title passed to his eldest son, the third baron and then to his grandson, the fourth Baron Sinha, who died without surviving male issue. The fifth baron was a younger son of the second Baron Sinha; the title is held by the latter's eldest son, the sixth Baron.
Barons Sinha (1919)
- Satyendra Prasanna Sinha, 1st Baron SinhaSatyendra Prasanno Sinha, 1st Baron SinhaSatyendra Prasanno Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha of Raipur KCSI PC KC was a prominent lawyer and statesman in British India.-Background and education:...
(1863–1928) - Arun Kumar Sinha, 2nd Baron Sinha (1887-1967)
- Sudhindra Prasanna Sinha, 3rd Baron Sinha (1920-1989)
- Susanta Prasanna Sinha, 4th Baron Sinha (1953-1992)
- Aninda Kumar Sinha, 5th Baron Sinha (1930-1999)
- Arup Kumar Sinha, 6th Baron Sinha (1966-)
The heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
is the present holder's brother the Hon. Dilip Kumar Sinha (b. 1967).
External links
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Baron Sinha
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- interview with the 6th Baron Sinha - India Today online