1972, BA in History, St Stephen's College; 1975, LLB, Univ. of New Delhi; 1976, MPhil, Jawahar Lal Nehru Univ., New Delhi. 1991, Additional Solicitor Gen. of India; 2002, 2004 and 2010, elected to Rajya Sabha; 2002-04, Member: Energy Comm.; Comm. on Commerce; Convener, Textiles Sub Comm., Commerce Comm.; 2004-06, Member: Information Tech. Comm.; Consultative Comm. for Ministry of Finance; 2006-09, Minister of State, Dept. of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry; 2009-10, Member, Public Accounts Comm. of Parliament; Chair, Sub-Comm. on Action Taken Notes of Public Accounts Comm. of Parliament; Member, Standing Comm. on External Affairs; Chair, Select Comm. on Prevention Torture Bill; 2011, Minister of State for Planning, Parliamentary Affairs, Science & Technology, and Earth Sciences. Since 2011, current position. Author: Law, Ideas and Ideology in Politics: Perspectives of an Activist (2003). Honorary doctorate, Punjab Univ.