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Eminent jurist and former Supreme Court Judge VR Krishna Iyer passes away

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Renowned jurist and former Supreme Court Judge Justice VR Krishna Iyer who has given a human face to Indian judicial system passed away at a private hospital in Kochi at around 3.30 pm on Wednesday.

Kochi city where he had lived for most part of his life celebrated his 100th birth on November 16. People from all walks of life including governor Sadasivam, chief minister Oommen Chandy, opposition leader VS Achuthanandan, and legendary playback singer KJ Yesudas had attended various functions organised in connection with his birth centenary. His funeral will take place at Ravipuram crematorium on Friday evening with full State honour. He is survived by a son who is settled in the US. His wife died earlier. Nation has honored him conferring Pama Bhibhushan in 1999.

One of the main architects of free-India's judiciary, Iyer was admitted at the hospital ten days ago with age-related problems. Ever since his condition worsened and finally the eventful life of the relentless fighter for the social justice came to an end this afternoon.

A versatile genius, Iyer was born in Palakkad district in Kerala on November 15, 1915. After graduating from the Madras Law College, he started legal profession under his father at Thalassery near Kozhikode. Then he turned to politics and was elected to Assembly thrice – Once to Madras Assembly and twice to Kerala. He was the Home and Public Works minister in Kerala's first Communist ministry led by EM Sankaran Namboothiripad in 1957. During the tenure, he reformed the jail manual, quantified the water in the State's 44 rivers and made immense contribution in preparing the ministry's epoch making Land Reform Act.

When Nehru ministry dismissed the EMS government, he returned to legal profession and started practice at the Kerala High Court. In all, he was judge for 15 years of which he served at the Kerala High Court for eight years and at the Supreme Court for seven years.

Though Iyer was at the Supreme Court for a short period, he had pronounced judgment in several socially and politically sensitive cases. It was he who had quashed the Allahabad High Court order invalidating election result of the former prime minister late Indira Gandhi being elected from the Raebareli constituency. This ultimately led to the national emergency declaration.

He had paved way for the judicial activism by giving a ruling being SC judge that the complaint received by judges can be treated as a petition. He also introduced the Public Interest Litigation.

After his retirement from the SC, he was in the forefront of all the major social agitations in Kerala. He has penned over 100 books.

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