Karm Narayan Bahl completed his DSc (1920) from Panjab University, Lahore and DPhil (1921) from University of Oxford. His area of specialization was zoology. His career was largely at Lucknow University where he was Head, Department of Zoology from 1921-51 and Professor (1923-51). He subsequently served as Vice-Chancellor of Patna University (1951-52).

Academic and Research Achievements: Bahl worked on the nephridial system of earthworms and discovered, in the genus Pheretima, a new type of septal nephridia which, contrary to then extant belief, open into the intestine and not outside the body. In Pheretima he found three distinct kinds of nephridia: septal, pharyngeal and integumentary. His later research unraveled the complicated nature, both anatomical and physiological, of the nephridia of earthworms from various parts of the world.

Other Contributions: As an Editor for the Zoological Society of India, Bahl pioneered a series of monographs: Indian Zoological Memoirs on Indian Animals.

Awards and Honours: KN Bahl was awarded the Joy Gobind Law Memorial Gold Medal of the Asiatic Society (1942). He was a Fellow of the Asiatic Society; Honorary Fellow, Zoological Society of India (President, 1950-52), Vice-President, INSA (1951-53), President, Zoology Section, Indian Science Congress (1924) and Member, University Education Commission, Government of India (1948-49).