Maniben Kara

A trade unioninstt and one of the founder member of Hind Mazdoor Sabha. Earler was member of M N Roy’s radical humanists. In the year 1929 she formed the Sewa Mandir and worked in many slums of the city, the dwelling place of many of the conservancy workers of the Bombay Improvement Trust(1905-1979)

A Sedition Case In the year 1932, Maniben Kara who was also a Corporator at the BMC and President of the Municipal Workers Union was charged under the Sedition on the basis of two speeches she made dring the May Day programmes at Dongri Maidain. The Chief Presidency Magistrate convicted her under section 153(creating class hatred) and section 124 A9sedition) and sentenced her to one year imrisonment and and a fine of Rs 300. She challenged the Magistrate order before the Bombay Hogh Court through Advocate F S Talyarkhan. During the proceedings before the Bombay High Court her counsel raised the question whether the section related to promotion of class hatred could be applied in cases of employers and employees.

The High Court judgement absolved her fo the accusations and cancelled the imprisonment but continued with the fine. The judgement dwelt on lenght questions like Who is a Capitalist?

She won the 1932 municipal elections from the D Ward. She was President of the Western Railways Employees Union during the 1960s and also of the Socialist Hind Mazdoor Sabha