Krishna Iyer had all the attributes expected of a judge: erudition, quickness of mind, good memory for decided cases and patience in deciding cases. Above all, Krishna Iyer possessed one outstanding quality. He took human suffering seriously, an indispensable requirement in the dispensation of justice. That is what made him not only a great judge but also a human being par excellence.
Krishna Iyer’s life was spent not in hankering after fame and fortune with pomp and glory but in the service of humanity with transparent sincerity. As a judge, Krishna Iyer had been the anonymous benefactor of numerous forgotten members of society whom we call prisoners and jail birds. No longer will they have to rot in jails in degrading and inhuman conditions; nor suffer the torture of iron bars or chains fastened on them.
Thanks to his judgments, the horrors of solitary confinement were banished. No more could the jailer and his minions be the monarchs of all they surveyed, because prisoners now have rights and remedies to combat prison arbitrariness and assert their human dignity.
Krishna Iyer also raised his voice in combating gender discrimination whereby several women have benefited. After retirement from the Bench, Krishna Iyer intensified his zest for service to his fellow beings. He had been on platforms in different parts of India and abroad, always raising his voice fearlessly for the downtrodden and exploited segments of humanity. He tirelessly filled the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run. Krishna Iyer led what can truly be described as a many splendoured life. He was truly a man for all seasons.
One outstanding human quality of Krishna Iyer was compassion. Compassion, not pity. There is a marked difference. Compassion is whereby we make others’ misery our own and which moves us to the relief of those who are in distress. His guiding star, his mission in life can be summed up in the moving poem by Emily Dickinson.
If I can stop one heart from breaking I shall not live in vain/If I can ease one life the aching or cool one pain/
Or help one fainting robin unto its nest again/I shall not live in vain.
Dear Krishna Iyer did not live in vain. Now you have departed from our midst leaving us orphaned. Goodnight good judge and may host of angels carry you to your eternal rest.
The author is a former Attorney-General of India
