A voice for the poor and deprived fades away

The legendary jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer, who took up the cause of the poor and the underprivileged in his capacities as a Minister in Kerala, a Supreme Court judge, and post-retirement, a human rights activist, is no more. He was 99.

Justice Iyer is known for a jurisprudence that stood out for its emphasis on reforming the criminal justice system, for landmark judgments, and for the environmental struggles.

The death occurred in a private hospital here around 3.30 p.m. on Thursday. He was admitted to the hospital on November 24 with chest congestion, high blood pressure and poor food intake.

He suffered a stroke on December 1 and his left side was paralysed. He was unconscious since Thursday morning, a doctor in the hospital said. The death followed a cerebral vascular accident because of the worsening cardiac condition and renal failure, along with respiratory tract infection. He suffered cardiac failure in 2012 and had been experiencing a renal condition since then. However, despite his illness, he had wonderful clarity of mind, the doctor said.

His son Paramesh Krishna Iyer and daughter-in-law Indrani were at his side at the time of his death. His wife predeceased him. He is survived by two sons.

Justice Iyer’s body, which was brought to his residence, “Satgamaya,” in the evening, will be kept at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor stadium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday for the public to pay homage. The funeral will be conducted at the Ravipuram crematorium in Kochi at 6 p.m.

“Without exaggeration or pessimism, I may sum up my long period in this world as the ‘home of lost causes, forsaken beliefs, unpopular names and impossible loyalties.’ What redeems my mind and mood is the satisfaction that I have dedicated my capacities not for making money but for wiping the tears of others — this being my tryst with destiny,” he said in the preface to his autobiography, Wandering in Many Worlds .

This humane bent of mind was on display earlier this year, when Justice Iyer, braving ill health, actively campaigned against the death penalty for the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. When the Supreme Court commuted the sentence, he wrote in an article, The barbarity of the death penalty , in The Hindu : “This marks a point where India has touched its cultural Everest.”

Select articles by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer "The best judge will have nothing to hide and everything to discover without fear or favour." >Read here "A Bhopal tragedy of Hiroshima magnitude — I call it a ‘Bhoposhima' calamity caused by ‘gasassination.'" >Read here "A commission to select judges will be an improvement on the collegium only if its members are of the highest standing." >Read here "Why capital punishment should be given the death sentence." >Read here "Judges are the spinal cord of the rule of law, and the final interpreters of the Constitution. Their judgments govern social and economic justice. But oftentimes, as Frankfurter pointed out, their failings show up." >Read here

On Justice Krishna Iyer He spurned the lure of pelf and power and governmental patronage and became an unrivalled champion of social justice, constitutional values and the rule of law. He blossomed into an iconic and inspirational figure both nationally and internationally. >Read here Luminaries in the field of jurisprudence paid glowing tributes to the former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer at a seminar organised to celebrate the 100th birthday of the eminent jurist. >Read here Collection of letters by Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer released. >Read here V.R. Krishna Iyer, who is described as a legend in terms of his knowledge of law, was feted for his many trailblazing judgments that have earned him a place among world-renowned legal scholars. >Read here