Bharat Ratna (1957)
Govind Ballabh Pant (1887 – 1961) was an Indian freedom fighter and the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (1950). Alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pant was a key personality in the movement for India's Independence and later a pivotal figure in the Indian Government.
His judicious reforms and stable governance in the Uttar Pradesh stabilized the economic condition of the most populous State of India. Among his achievements in that position was the abolition of the zamindari system. He also passed the Hindu Code Bill and made monogamy compulsory for Hindu men and gave the Hindu women the rights of divorce and inheritance to ancestral property.
Known as an extremely capable lawyer, Pant was appointed by the Congress party to initially represent Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan and other revolutionaries involved in the Kakori case in the mid 1920s.
Jawaharlal Nehru, in his autobiography, mentions how Pant stood by him during the protests and his large figure made him an easy target for the police. In those protests he sustained severe injuries which prevented him from straightening his back for the rest of his life.
As Union Home Minister in Nehru's Cabinet, his chief achievement was the re-organisation of States along linguistic lines. He was also responsible for the establishment of Hindi as an official language of the central government and a few states.
Today, several Indian hospitals, educational institutions and foundations bear his name.