V. P. Menon
V. P. Menon | |
|---|---|
| Acting Governor of Odisha | |
| In office 6 May 1951 – 17 July 1951 | |
| Preceded by | Asaf Ali |
| Succeeded by | Asaf Ali |
| Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of the States | |
| In office 1947–1951 | |
| Constitutional Adviser and Political Reforms Commissioner to Viceroy of India | |
| In office 1942–1947 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Hodson |
| Succeeded by | Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vappala Pangunni Menon 30 September 1893 Ottapalam, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British Raj (Present day Palakkad district, Kerala) |
| Died | 31 December 1965 (aged 72), Cooke Town, Bangalore, Mysore State (now Karnataka) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Vappala Pangunni Menon CSI CIE (30 September 1893 – 31 December 1965) was an Indian civil servant who served as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of the States, under Sardar Patel. By appointment from Viceroy and Governor-General of India Wavell, he also served as Secretary to the Governor-General (Public) and later as Secretary to the Cabinet. He also was the Constitutional Adviser and Political Reforms Commissioner to the last three successive Viceroys (Linlithgow, Wavell and Mountbatten) during British rule in India. In May 1948, at the initiative of V. P. Menon, a meeting was held in Delhi between the Rajpramukhs of the princely unions and the States Department, at the end of which the Rajpramukhs signed new Instruments of Accession which gave the Government of India the power to pass laws in respect of all matters that fell within the seventh schedule of the Government of India Act 1935.
He played a vital role in India's partition and political integration. Later in his life, he became a member of the free-market–oriented Swatantra Party.