The path-breaking verdicts of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, which ‘humanised’ Indian judiciary, played a key role in opening up the doors of the Supreme Court to the common man, said Sebastian Paul, former MP and lawyer.
“His verdicts highlighted the qualities of compassion and concern for the poor and always relied on the core principle of fundaments rights,” he said.
He was addressing a gathering convened by the All India Lawyers Union to remember justice Iyer here on Wednesday.
He also refuted the views that justice Iyer’s verdict in the Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narayan case triggered a political crisis, leading to the imposition of emergency in 1975 and pointed out that it was the best order that upheld the majesty of the court under the prevailing conditions.
“The government was all set to declare emergency even before the verdict was pronounced.
It did not matter if the stay on Indira’s election to Parliament was conditional or unconditional as they were about to declare it anyway,” he said.
N. Nagaresh, Assistant Solicitor General of India, who spoke on the occasion, said the acceptability of justice Iyer was beyond the political leniency of different groups in the society and every party considered him as a priced possession of their own.
However, justice Iyer never hesitated to point out the mistakes committed by them and was always willing to learn and accept mistakes committed by him and rectified them at the earliest, Mr Nagaresh said.
C.P. Sudhakara Prasad, president, All India Lawyers Union, presided over the meeting.
Shaji.P. Chaly, president, Kerala High Court Advocates Association and Majnu Komath, vice-president, All India Lawyers Union, were among those who spoke on the occasion.
