Born on 31 March 1941, Pallath Joseph Kurien is a politician, social worker, and educator from India. He served as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, India's upper chamber of Parliament, until his retirement on June 30, 2018.
Kurien, a politician of the Indian National Congress party, previously served as a Union Minister in the P. V. Narasimha Rao cabinet and was a Lok Sabha member for six consecutive years from 1980 to 1999. In 2005, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Suryanelli rape case
Kurien was alleged to be an accused in the Suryanelli rape case, although his name was never listed on the list of defendants.
Three inquiries were undertaken under the Chief Ministership of E. K. Nayanar, who himself used the allegations against Kurien during the 1996 elections and was also a respondent in the defamation case filed by Kurien.
Kurien was just an opposition MP during these three inquiries, as the Congress Party was out of power both at the Centre and in Kerala.
Kurien has, however, maintained his innocence, and police investigations have found him to be innocent as well.
