Barrister Thakur Chhedilal Samman”

Barrister Thakur Chhedilal was born in 1886 in a landlord family of Akaltara town in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh. His father's name was Shri Pachkod Singh.

Barrister Chhedilal went to Oxford for higher education after completing his intermediate from Muir College, Prayag. There he did M.A. in History, L.L.B. And obtained the degree of Bar-at-Law. He was quite proficient in the languages ​​of Hindi, English, Urdu and Sanskrit.

He remained active in the freedom struggle since 1919. He also taught for some time at Banaras University in 1921 and at Gurukul Kangri in 1922.

 After this, he remained as a director in the Seva Samiti of Prayag till 1926. He earned great fame in the field of law through his scholarship. But his patriotism soon got disturbed and he left advocacy and entered active politics.

 Initially his inclination was towards Swarajya Party but in 1928, influenced by Gandhiji, he chose his path towards Congress. To spread awareness in Bilaspur region, he made an innovative use of Rashtriya Ramayana from the stage of Ramlila.

 He made important contribution in the Civil Disobedience Movement. He played an important role in bringing the farmer Katnamis of Mungeli into politics. His work was mainly among the public.

 In the provincial elections of 1937, he was elected MLA from Central Province after winning as a Congress candidate. Being a legal scholar, he was elected as a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly from (1946-50), and he was nominated as a member of the Provisional Parliament from (1950-52). He died in the year 1953.

 He is said to be the first barrister in Chhattisgarh after the partition of Madhya Pradesh. “Barrister Thakur Chhedilal Samman” has been established in
his memory.