The Men And Women Who Made Headlines In 2014

Modi, rose from a humble background to become the 15th prime minister of India. If there was one single factor that made BJP's landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha Polls possible, it was Modi's dynamic leadership of his party. The year 2014 undoubtedly belongs to Modi.

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayaram Jayalalithaa faced a major blow when a court sentenced her to four years in jail and a fine of Rs 100 crore in a disproportionate assets case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Indian child right activist Kailash Satyarthi came into limelight after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly along with Pakistani child rights activist Malala Youzsafzai.

Despite a huge dip in AAP's and his own popularity in 2014, Aam Aadmi Party founder, Arvind Kejriwal -- an RTI activist turned politician -- stayed in limelight by contesting against the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, in Lok Sabha election.

Under the leadership of ISRO chief K. Radhakrishnan, India successfully placed Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan in Mars orbit in its maiden attempt.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor continued to be in the news, be it for his praise of Prime Minster Narendra Modi that upset some of his own party colleagues, or the mysterious death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

Amit Shah, a close aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, played a vital role in Lok Sabha elections. As a result of BJP's landslide victory in parliamentary elections, Shah -- the key strategist -- was made the party president.

The Congress vice president began the year on an energetic note by leading his party's campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections. But with the Congress suffering a major electoral loss, Rahul Gandhi has preferred to keep a low profile of late.

N. Srinivasan found himself mired in controversy when the Supreme Court removed him as BCCI chief and asked Sunil Gavaskar to take charge as interim president for the duration of IPL 7.

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma became the highest run-scorer in ODIs, getting 264 off 173 balls against Sri Lanka in November.

Shah Rukh Khan was the only Indian actor in the top 10 combined rich list of Bollywood and Hollywood stars this year. Khan is richer than Hollywood giants like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood.

Virat Kohli stayed in the limelight less because of cricket and more for his relationship with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma.

Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and husband of Priyanka Gandhi, faced a major setback when senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka accused him of being involved in illegal land transfers to DLF.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan received wide acclaim for battling inflation. Rajan is credited with stabilizing the rupee post the crisis in 2013.

Perhaps no other state government leader in India has received as much flak over misrule and deteriorating law and order situation as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did in 2014.

Indian boxer Sarita Devi refused to accept the bronze medal at the Incheon Asian Games to protest against the decision of the judges.

Reliance Industries Chairman, Managing Director Mukesh Ambani topped the Forbes India rich list for the eighth consecutive year with a net worth of USD 23.6 billion.

Ranjit Sinha's tenure as the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) chief was marred by controversies. It was during his leadership that the Supreme Court referred to the CBI as a 'Caged Parrot'.

In a historic victory, top shuttler K Srikanth notched up a stunning straight-game win over two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China in the China.

It was another year of controversies for Salman Khan who drew criticism for meeting Narendra Modi during the kite festival in Gujarat. He was also criticised for performing at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's Saifai Mahotsav even as children were dying in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar for want of proper rehabilitation.