As a Supreme Court judge, Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, fondly called Swami, demolished the ivory tower image of the judiciary forever. Social causes were close to Swami’s heart who found remedies and relief for the common man through the use of his words which were mightier than the sword. His resonating voice struck a chord with the voiceless and the helpless. He fit the sobriquets of a good Samaritan, judicial activist, legal legend, social crusader, Communist, people’s judge and global citizen.
As one who knew him for over four decades, I can say that his typical, special and unconventional outlook on every matter was what distinguished him from other judges. It was Swami who relentlessly furthered the idea of a separate and special bench called the Social Justice Bench in the Supreme Court. One thinks of the verses: “I have fought the good fight; I have finished my race; I have kept the faith; from now on there is reserved for me the righteousness ….”
George John,
Dehradun