Justice Krishna Iyer, who passed away in Kochi (“ >A voice for the poor and deprived fades away ,” Dec.5), lived a worthy life by serving the people to the best of his capabilities. The saying, “God loves those who serve their fellowmen,” fits this eminent jurist well.
K.S. Thampi,
Chennai
The front page report left me teary-eyed. As a voracious reader of The Hindu from high school — chiefly in pursuit of improving my command over the English language and on the advice of my teachers — I never missed any opportunity to read Justice Iyer’s articles. After every paragraph, I used to note down unfamiliar words and then consult a dictionary. Such was his mastery over the language — he wrote sheer poetry.
I have no doubt that there are multitudes of people across society who admire the “noble heart” in reverential silence. His stellar conduct as a “learned human being” went far beyond what an ordinary human being of his age would be able to do. His fight to abolish capital punishment, a cause The Hindu has itself long upheld, will always be remembered. One hopes the newspaper will bring out a compilation of articles by Justice Iyer. Finally, it is apt to describe his life quoting Rudyard Kipling’s “If” — “If you can fill the unforgiving minute,/With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,/Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it ....”
B.V. Kumar,
Nellore
In the passing of Justice Iyer, the country has lost a stalwart who was unparalleled in his profession. He was the law man who was the voice of the layman, always uncompromising, firm and forthright, pronouncing judgments that knew no gender discrimination, caste, religion or positional differences. He was the equivalent of Mother Teresa when it came to showing extreme compassion for the poor. No judge in India could have made the black robes look so majestic as Justice Iyer did.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
Justice Iyer most eminently deserved the title “justice”, as his vision and execution of jurisprudence unquestionably went far beyond the narrow domestic confines of the traditional interpretations and definitions of justice, reaching out to the voiceless and the faceless. Generations to come will be inspired by his incessant passion to serve the downtrodden, while in office or out of it. It was said that in legal and social circles one often heard the saying “Krishna locuta, causa finita (Krishna Iyer has spoken, the matter is settled!”).
M.C. Sebastian,
Bengaluru
Justice Iyer was the Bhishma Pithamah of the Indian judiciary. As the Law Minister in the first Communist government in Kerala in 1957 (the first-ever democratically elected Communist government anywhere in the world), he was credited with the revolutionary Kerala Land Reforms Act that completely changed the nature of landholdings in the State.
Ettirankandath Krishnadas,
Palakkad
He was a jurist of international fame and influence. I have had close interactions with the legendary jurist, whom we fondly used to call “Swami”. Malice to none and goodwill to all for good causes was his motto. His private and public life were transparent. He was eminently approachable as he was the champion of the poor, the disadvantaged and marginalised.
Many a judgment by “Swami” as a judge and as a Minister in the first Communist Ministry of Kerala can be etched in golden letters in the history of Indian jurisprudence. The best tribute to him is to carry his legacy forward with vibrancy in order to empower the poor and the voiceless.
K.M. George,
Muvattupuzha, Kerala
His strong and forceful opinions were not weighed down by fear or fervour. Nor were his articulations mere expressions of emotion over given issues. He was an eternal optimist as well as a great secularist. Every article of his recorded his views with flair and conviction, so much so that they were opinions that represented the collective expressions of the secular, the rational and the democratic.
N. Sekar,
Salem
