Jurist and former judge of the Supreme Court V.R. Krishna Iyer is a person who has left his indelible mark on the three pillars of democracy and also on the media, the fourth pillar, Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan said on Sunday.
“No single adjective can contain or describe such a rare personality,” he said at a function organised at Durbar Hall Ground on Sunday evening to honour Mr. Iyer who celebrated his 100th birthday a few days ago.
“Mr. Iyer is humane to the core and has clarity of thought. He ensured that laws did not remain just black and white letters in law books. Instead, he applied them for the betterment of ordinary people. People look forward to his opinions on complex and wide-ranging topics though he retired from official responsibilities four decades ago. He is known to uphold simplicity and the democratic spirit,” Mr. Achuthanandan said.
“Mr. Iyer’s proactive interventions for the uplift of the toiling masses and for environmental protection are well-known. I know him for the past 60 years and few Keralites can match his contributions to society during the past 100 years. He has always taken the side of people,” he said.
The function saw 100 balloons being released to celebrate the jurist’s centenary.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy could not make it to the function since he was ill.
In his absence, Minister for Excise and Ports K. Babu announced that the State government had sanctioned five cents of land near Ernakulam District Court premises for setting up a judicial library, something Mr. Iyer was keen on.
“Mr. Iyer was an eye to the blind and ear to the deaf,” said literary critic and the jurist’s close friend M.K. Sanoo. He handed over a mangalapatram (felicitation scroll) written by him to the centenarian.
Former Union Minister of State O. Rajagopal expressed his wishes on behalf of the Union government and the Bharatiya Janata Party. P Rajeev, MP, who presided over the function, demanded that the Centre confer the Bharat Ratna on Mr. Iyer.
Socio-political and religious leaders joined members of the public in wishing him all the very best in life. Speakers cited how he remained sensitive to people’s woes, even as he strongly opposed injustice.
A pandi melam performance by percussion maestro Peruvanam Kuttan Marar preceded the event.
