Former Union Minister Sheila Kaul, a sister-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru and oldest surviving former parliamentarian, died after a brief illness in a hospital here. She was 100.
A former Himachal Pradesh Governor, Kaul had been unwell for the past few days and was admitted to the hospital last evening where she breathed her last at 8 p.m.
A five-time MP, Kaul was born on February 7, 1915. She was an arts graduate from Lahore Women’s College and had a degree in teaching from Sir Ganga Ram Training College, Lahore. She was married to renowned botanist Kailash Nath Kaul. Kaul is survived by sons Gautam Kaul, a retired IPS officer, and Vikram Kaul, an international sports administrator, besides daughter Deepa Kaul, a former Information Minister in U.P.
Sonia attends funeral Her mortal remains were consigned to flames at 4.30 p.m. in the presence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and several other party leaders. Urban Development Minister in the Narasimha Rao Cabinet, Ms. Kaul was accused of making out-of-turn allotment of government accommodations in return for monetary gain between 1992 and 1995.