Ravi Shankar Prasad is an Indian politician and lawyer who currently serves as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Minister of Law and Justice in the Cabinet Ministry of the Government of 15th Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. His is one of the most articulate leaders of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). Apart from politics, he also works as a noted Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. He is also the member of the Upper House of the Parliament of India, Rajya Sabha, and is the representative of Bihar in the same. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee he was designated as the Minister of Coal and Mines, the Minister of Law and Justice, and the Minister of Information and Broadcasting during the National Democratic Alliance Government (NDA).

Early Life of Ravi Shankar Prasad
Ravi Shankar Prasad was born on 30th August 1954 in Patna city of Bihar to a Kayastha family. His father, Thakur Prasad, worked as a Senior Advocate at the Patna High Court. He was also a founder member of the Jan Sangha, presently known as Bhartiya Janta Party. Ravi Shankar Prasad earned his B.A. (Hons), M.A. (Political Science) and LLB degrees from Patna University.

Political Career of Ravi Shankar Prasad
Political career of Ravi Shankar Prasad began in the 1970s as a student leader when he organized protests against the Government of Indira Gandhi. Under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan, he worked in the student movement in Bihar for which he was also imprisoned during the Emergency. For several years he was also associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, assuming various posts in both the organizations. He served as the Assistant General Secretary of the Patna University Students Union during his college days and also as a member of the Senate, Finance Committee, Arts and Law faculties of the University.

He has worked for a number of national-level assignments in the youth wing as well as the main party organisation of the BJP. In 2000, he became a Member of Parliament whereas in the year 2001 was appointed as the Minister of State (Coal and Mines) under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. After assuming the post, Prasad sped up the reforms process in the mining and coal sectors. In July 2002, he was conferred the additional charge of Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice. Appreciatively, within just a fortnight he prepared a bill for amending the Representation of People Act. He also accelerated the procedure of fast-track courts. Being the Minister of Information and Broadcasting he made reformations in the television, radio and animation sectors. He also helped in establishing Goa as the centre of the International Film Festival of India.

He also led the Indian delegation to the Non-Aligned Movement`s ministerial meet in Durban, South Africa, in April 2002. He has also led Indian delegations to the Commonwealth Law Minister Summit in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and to film festivals in Cannes, Venice and London. He has been serving as a member of BJP National Executive, which is the top policy making body of the party, since 1995. In 2006 he was appointed as the National Spokesperson of the BJP along with getting elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. In 2010 he became the General Secretary of the BJP. He got elected once again to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in 2010 for the third consecutive term.

Law Career of Ravi Shankar Prasad
Ravi Shankar Prasad has been working at the Patna High Court since the year 1980. In 1999, he got the designation of Senior Advocate in the same. In 2000 he was appointed as the Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. He served as the main lawyer who argued the Public Interest Litigation against Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister and Railway Minister, in the Fodder scam and Bitumen scam cases. He also represented the Bihar Banking Service Recruitment Board and L. K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minister, before the Patna High Court. Apart from these he handled many other high profile cases.

Personal Life of Ravi Shankar Prasad
Ravi Shankar Prasad is married to Maya Shankar, a professor of history at Patna University, since 3rd February 1982. His sister named Anuradha Prasad is the wife of Rajeev Shukla, Congress leader, Minister and former IPL Chairman.