Court cases have always inspired film plots, but for former judge M. Karpagavinayagam, it was theatre that motivated him to strive for social justice.
The chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, Petroleum and Natural Gas, New Delhi, recalled how he came to Chennai from Karaikudi, with dreams of getting into acting.
He joined the Law College, acted in plays and finally, became a government advocate. “I was active in stage dramas from 1969 to 1977,” said the former judge.
He was speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of an event organised by the Educational and Social Research Organisation and Madras High Court Advocates to launch his biography ‘A Long Journey of a Justice’ by Rani Maindhan.
“I first acted in a play at school, directed by a teacher,” he recalled. After coming to Chennai, he joined ‘ Thenga’ Srinivasan’s troupe and then, became a part of ‘Seva Stage’ of S. V. Sahasranamam.
Though he wanted to join the movies, the then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran made him a government advocate.
“I thought I was inefficient and did not want to accept the job. But M.G.R convinced me to pursue it,” the former judge of the Madras High Court added.
But, now his main interest is in serving society. “Drama instilled in me social consciousness.
Only when people shun alcohol and corruption will there be complete independence,” said the judge, who was earlier Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
Earlier, during the function, P. R. Gokula Krishnan, former chief justice of the Gujarat High Court and T.S. Arunachalam, former acting chief justice of the Madras High Court spoke in praise of Mr. Karpagavinayagam.
Justice Rama Subramanian of the Madras High Court, Justice Venkataraman of the Puducherry Consumer Court, S. Akshay Kumar, chairman, Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission, senior advocate R. Gandhi and film director S.P. Muthuraman also spoke.
