A Tribute to Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer

Justice Krishna Iyer, in whose demise the Indian Bar lost a towering and somewhat mythical figure in the legal profession was a remarkable multifaceted personality, having experienced life from varied angles – as a lawyer practicing for a number of years in a Sub-Court at Tellichery, thereafter, at the High Court of Kerala, then as a Minister of the legendary first Communist Government. Justice Krishna Iyer, in whose demise the Indian Bar lost a towering and somewhat mythical figure in the legal profession was a remarkable multifaceted personality, having experienced life from varied angles – as a lawyer practicing for a number of years in a Sub-Court at Tellichery, thereafter, at the High Court of Kerala, then as a Minister of the legendary first Communist Government of Kerala headed by E. M. S. Namboodiripad, as Member of the Law Commission of India, and finally as a judge of the Supreme Court of India. Justice Krishna Iyer’s elevation to the Supreme Court raised eyebrows and scepticism in many legal circles as his name was recommended by Mr. Mohan Kumaramangalam, who was a powerful left oriented politician and a Minister. By 1980, Justice Bhagwati and Justice Krishna Iyer became senior justices and took the Supreme Court in a new direction while evolving radical principles. It is pertinent to mention that over a period of seven years in the Supreme Court Justice Krishna Iyer delivered about seven hundred judgments on a range of issues.