Salman Khurshid Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Salman Khurshid Alam Khan
Profession(s)	• Politician • Advocate • Writer
Famous for	Being 28th Foreign Minister of India
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Grey
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (INC)
Political Journey	• 1981-1982: Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister’s Office (during the tenure of Indira Gandhi) • 1991-1996: Became first time Member of Parliament (MP) in 10th Lok Sabha from Farrukhabad • June 1991: Union Deputy Minister of Commerce • January 1993-June 1996: Union Minister of State of External Affairs • 1996-1997: Chairman of Department of Foreign Affairs • 1999-2000 & 2005-2008: President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee • 2000-2003: Chairman of Department of Policy Planning and Coordination (DEPCO), All India Congress Committee • 2003-2004: Special Invitee of Congress Working Committee • 2004-2005: General Secretary of All India Congress Committee • 2009-2014: Member of Parliament (MP) in 15th Lok Sabha from Farrukhabad • 29 May 2009-18 January 2011: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Corporate Affairs and Minority Affairs • 19 January 2011-19 July 2011: Union Cabinet Minister of Water Resources • 19 January 2011-28 October 2012: Union Cabinet Minister of Minority Affairs • 12 July 2011–28 October 2012: Union Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice • 28 October 2012-25 May 2014: Union Cabinet Minister of External Affairs • 2014: Lost general election from Farrukhabad • 2019: Lost Lok Sabha election from Farrukhabad
Honour	Elected Honorary Fellow by St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University in 2014
Personal Life
Date of Birth	1 January 1953 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2024)	71 Years
Birthplace	Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Aligarh
School(s)	• St. Xavier's School, Patna • Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, New Delhi
College/University	• St. Stephen's College, Delhi (affiliated to Delhi University) • St. Edmund Hall, Oxford (affiliated to Oxford University)
Educational Qualification(s)	• 1973: Bachelor of Arts in English Honours (St. Stephen's) • 1977: BA Jurisprudence (St. Edmund) • 1978: Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) (St. Edmund) • 1979: Master of Arts (MA) (St. Edmund)
Religion	Islam
Caste/Ancestry	Pathan (Pashtun)
Ethnicity/Tribe	• From father's side- Afridi • From mother's side- Kheshgi
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Address	4, Gulmohar Avenue, Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi - 110025
Hobbies	• Playing cricket and squash • Visiting wildlife parks • Reading history, biographies, and media
Controversies	Misuse of funds In 2012, India Today and Aaj Tak conducted a sting operation titled 'Operation Dhritrashtra' which alleged that Salman Khurshid and his wife, Louise, misused the funds which were given to their NGO 'Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust' by various ministries of the Indian government. It was alleged that Khurshid misused around Rs 70 lakhs which were meant for buying tricycles for the disabled. Reports claimed that he forged the signatures and stamps of various officials of Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh Economic offence wing later investigated the case. Louise later filed a defamation case against TV Today (renamed India Today) for making these allegations public. In 2024, an arrest warrant was issued against Louise but she managed to evade arrest by getting a stay order. [1]Hindustan Times Statements before 2014 Lok Sabha Elections Salman Khurshid caused controversy with his statements before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections such as that Narendra Modi was impotent, promising a 9% sub-quota for minorities, and that Sonia Gandhi cried after watching the photos of Batla House encounter. Opposition parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised his statements as a tool to attract Muslim voters. His statements were reported to cause loss to Congress in votes. Trespassing case Officials of Delhi Public School (DPS) society in South Delhi alleged that Salman Khurshid and Sharda Nayak forcibly entered the DPS Office on 30 March 2015 after which Nayak announced herself as the chairman of society. A case was filed against them later at the Amar Colony police station. In January 2023, the Supreme Court of India overruled the decision of Delhi High Court and stayed Khurshid's arrest. [2]NDTV References in the book 'Sunrise over Ayodhya' In October 2021, his book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times' was launched. He compared the activities of radical Hindu groups to Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS in the 6th chapter titled The Saffron Sky. Many people across India filed complaints against him for defaming Hindutva. On 18 November 2021, the Supreme Court of India dismissed the petition which requested to stop the sale of the book. His home in Nainital was also set on fire by some people protesting his book. [3]India Today Vote Jihad On 29 April 2024, before the 2024 General Elections, he organised an election rally in the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency in favour of Naval Kishore Shakya, the INDIA bloc candidate and an SP (Samajwadi Party) leader. During the rally, his niece Maria Alam Khan, a Samajwadi Party leader, made an appeal to the voters to do jihad through their votes and cast their votes to Shakya in the elections which caused controversy. An FIR was filed against Khurshid and Maria at the Kaimganj police station in Farrukhabad under the (Indian Penal Code) IPC sections Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant), and Section 125 of the Representation of People’s Act. A complaint was also filed in the Election Commission for violating the model code of conduct.
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • Twitter • LinkedIn • Official Website
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Year, 1984
Family
Wife/Spouse	Louise Fernandes Khurshid (Social Worker & Educationist)
Children	Son(s)- 3 • Jafar Khurshid (Lawyer, married to Rishika Gupta) • Omar Khurshid • Samar Khurshid (Reporter) Daughter- Ayesha (died of kidney ailment at the age of 16)
Parents	Father- Khurshed Alam Khan (politician, 5 February 1919-20 July 2013) Mother- Saeeda Khurshid (women right activist)
Siblings	Sister(s)- 3 • Rehana Misra • Anjum Shirazi • Nilofer Menon
Other Relatives	Maternal grandfather- Zakir Husain (3rd President of India) Maternal grandmother- Shah Jahan Begum Father-in-law- Praxy Fernandes (1924-2002) Mother-in-law- Joan Fernandes (24 June 1933-6 November 2021) Brother-in-law- Ashok Fernandes (23 August 1956-15 November 2021) Niece- Maria Alam Khan (Politician)
Favourites
Book(s)	‘A Man For All Seasons’ by Robert Bolt, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' by T. E. Lawrence, 'The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• Mahindra Jeep • Toyota Innova • Toyota Fortuner • Mercedes car
Money Factor
Salary/Income	• Rs 3,31,17,607 (Rs 3 Crore approx.) • Rs 4-5 lakh fees per court hearing Note: This income is for the financial year 2017-2018. [4]MyNeta It excludes the income of his wife.
Assets/Properties	Movable Assets • Cash: Rs. 1,50,000 • Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs. 12,31,02,256 (12 crores 31 lakhs approx.) • Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs. 98,59,000 (98 lakhs 59 thousand) • LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs 1,68,33,237 (1 crore 68 lakhs approx.) • Personal loans/advance given: Rs 70,18,901 (70 lakhs approx.) • Motor Vehicles: Rs. 84,36,367 (84 lakhs approx.) Immovable Assets • Agricultural Land: Rs 2,50,51,260 (2 cores 50 lakhs approx.) • Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 15,00,000 • Commercial Buildings: Rs. 60,00,000 • Residential Buildings: Rs. 2,00,00,000 (2 crores) Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife. [5]MyNeta
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs 21 crores Note: This net worth is for 2019. [6]MyNeta It excludes the net worth of his wife.

Some Lesser Known Facts About Salman Khurshid

• In 1977, Salman Khurshid became a Supreme Court Bar Association member and was promoted to Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India in 1998.
  

  Salman Khurshid during a hearing at the Supreme Court of India

• He specialises in Commercial, Constitutional, Airline, Press Law and Administrative Law.

• After completing his BCL in 1978, he worked as a lecturer of Law at Trinity College in London from 1978 to 1980 before returning to India.
  

  Salman Khurshid and his wife with Giani Zail Singh (centre) after he returned to India from England

• He started his political life in 1980 under Indira Gandhi and worked with Rajiv Gandhi. He later worked with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as well.
  

  Salman Khurshid with Rahul Gandhi (left)

• He has also served as the national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress (INC).
  

  Salman Khurshid as the national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress (INC)

• He has been a part of several controversial cases such as the ban on the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in 2002 and the case of Asaram Bapu in 2014.

• In 2015, he played the role of Saif Ali Khan in a video version of the famous Hindi song ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ made by the German embassy. Then-German Ambassador to India, Michael Steiner acted as Shah Rukh Khan, and his wife, Eliese, acted as Preity Zinta.
  

  Salman Khurshid and Eliese Steiner (left) during the video remake of Kal Ho Naa Ho song

• He is fond of animals and has more than 300 pets in his home such as cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and goats.
  

  Salman Khurshid and his wife playing with their pets

• He is an art lover and often visits painting exhibitions.
  

  Salman Khurshid (second from left) at an art exhibition

• He has completed his doctorate (PhD) thesis but has not received his degree.

• He has acted and written many theatre plays since his school and college days. He wrote the play ‘Sons of Babur’ which was staged at Red Fort with Tom Alter playing the main role.
  

  Poster of Salman Khurshid’s play, Sons of Babur

• He has been elected as an MP (Member of Parliament) from Farrukhabad in several elections. In 2024, he could not contest the general elections from Farrukhabad as the seat went to the Samajwadi Party (SP) quota in the seat-sharing of the INDIA Bloc.
  

  Salman Khurshid casting his vote in Farrukhabad Sadar during the elections

• He has written many books including Beyond Terrorism: New Hope for Kashmir (1994), At Home in India: The Muslim Saga (2014), Triple Talaq: Examining Faith (2018), and Visible Muslim, Invisibile Citizen (2019).
  

  Cover of Salman Khurshid’s book, At Home in India The Muslim Saga

• He has also worked extensively in the education sector such as setting up Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) for women and schools for the poor and underprivileged children.

• Salman Khurshid has worked for the welfare of children and has served as the president of the Delhi Public School Society and Dr Zakir Hussain Study Circle and patron of Mother Teresa Memorial Trust/Mother Teresa Foundation.
  

  Salman Khurshid (in brown coat) during a charity program for children

• His office/chamber is located at 22, Silver Arch Apartments, Firozshah Road, New Delhi, and he has a team of various advocates. ^[7]Chamber of Salman Khurshid
  

  Salman Khurshid (in brown) with his team at his chambers

• He is considered a follower of the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr BR Ambedkar.
  

  A photo of Salman Khurshid taken alongside the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar