Moti Kripalani

Moti K. Kripalani, ICS, was an Indian civil servant who went to serve as Chief Commissioner of Ajmer and Pondicherry.

Chief Commissioner of Pondicherry

The state of Pondicherry comprised ex-French settlements in India after their de facto transfer in October 1954. Kripalani succeeded Kewal Singh as the chief commissioner of Pondicherry on 16 November 1956. The political musings of 1st Pondicherry Representative Assembly during its tenure became quite a sensation, and they caught the attention of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and others. Some of his decisions were criticized by political leaders of Pondicherry, who rued that delay in de jure transfer is one of the main reasons as the Pondicherry assembly had only an advisory role and the Chief Commissioner could take decisions overriding the assembly.

Joint Secretary of the Commerce and Labor Department

He also served as Joint Secretary of the Commerce and Labour Department. During this period, only he was appointed by Bengal Governor Herbert to assist L.G. Pinnell to pursue the policy of denial in Bengal.

Autobiography

He has recounted some important events in his life and civil service in his book Some Memories of Old Bengal. In that book, he mentions that as a higher civil servant in those days, he pursued particular hobbies and other recreational activities during his posting in Rajshahi.