'Justice Krishna Iyer was a crusader of social justice'

Late judge of Supreme Court remembered on his birth centenary

Acting Chief Justice of the High Court, Subhro Kamal Mukherjee, remembered Justice late V R Krishna Iyer as a “multi-faced personality, a politician, minister, judge, author, champion of human rights and crusader of social justice”.

He was speaking at a programme organised by the JSS Law College and the Karnataka Judicial Academy to pay tribute to Justice Iyer on the occasion k his birth centenary here on Saturday. Former Chief Justice of India M N Venkatachalaiah and High Court judge Justice N Kumar also took part in the event.

Justice Mukherjee said, “Iyer contributed tremendously to every realm of society. He pronounced judgements in 700 cases in seven years as a judge of the Supreme Court between 1973 and 1980. The Shamsher Singh case and the Maneka Gandhi case are landmark cases.”

Delivering a talk on ‘Justice Krishna Iyer’s Personality and Social Philosophy’, Justice Venkatachalaiah said, “Iyer was an unbelievable communist during his younger days. Though he became a minister in the first Communist government of Kerala, he strongly believed in democracy. I had joined Iyer for his several birthday celebrations in Cochin.”

Justice Kumar, speaking on ‘Justice Krishna Iyer and Democracy’, recalled the latter’s tenure as Supreme Court judge. “In June 1975, the Allahabad High Court had unseated the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from the Lok Sabha. Following the orders, Indira Gandhi moved the Supreme Court. Iyer, who was the judge, granted conditional stay on the Allahabad Court order. This triggered her action for invoking Emergency upon the nation.”

“The fourth pillar of democracy, the media, should not cross its limits as it is a tool to enlighten the people,” he added. Citing the Bihar and Delhi Assembly polls, he said Indian voters might be illiterate but nobody should underestimate their intelligence.

Suttur mutt seer Shivarathri Deshikendra Swami, Principal District and Sessions Judge K S Mudgal, Mysore Bar Association president B R Chandramouli, college principal K S Suresh and advocate Sudhish Pai were present on the occasion.