| V.R. Krishna Iyer | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 1, 1915 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Residence | Ernakulam |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Autobiography | Wandering in Many Worlds |
| Website | V.R.Krishna Iyer |
Vaidyanathapura Rama Krishna Iyer (born November 1, 1915), popularly known as Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, is a former judge in the Supreme Court of India. He was born in a village in Malabar region of Kerala. In 1952, he was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly; in 1957, he became a minister in the first Communist government in Kerala, serving until 1959. Having been the minister of law, power, prisons, irrigation and social welfare in the Government of Kerala, he was instrumental in bringing about many significant changes in thse sector. In 1973, he was sworn in as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India; as of 2011, he is the last Supreme Court judge to have previously served as a politician. He was conferred with Padma Vibhushan in the year 1999. He is one of the oldest judges in india
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Justice Iyer was Home Minister and minister for law, power, prisons, irrigation and social welfare in the Government of the State of Kerala following the victory of the Communist Party of India under E. M. S. Namboodiripad in the 1957 elections. He won the Elections as an Independent, and later pledged support to the Communist government.[1] He was the originator of Kerala Land Reforms Act, which drastically transformed the land holding pattern among the people of the State of Kerala. But he transferred all his family property under a trust so that his properties could be safe from the provisions of the Land Reforms Act. Iyer retired from politics in 1959.
Iyer became a judge of the High court of Kerala on 2 July 1968. He became a Judge of the Supreme Court of India in 1973. During this time, the Supreme Court interpreted Article 21 of the Constitution of India in the sense that the national government was obliged to provide free legal services to accused persons in custody. He retired from the Supreme Court in November 1980.
Iyer has rendered several important judgments involving the interpretation of the Constitution of India and the statutory as well as personal law of Muslims. Analyzing and summarizing his judgments, a book titled "Muslim Law- An analysis of the judgments rendered by Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer" has been published in the year 2006.
In August 2011,Iyer addressed the CM of Gujarat as[1] "my dear venerable Modi". "I hold you high as chief minister and as a model for other chief ministers in the country," . This praise relates specifically to CM Modi's Kanya Kelavani Yojana project, to help girl's education in the state of Gujarat. [2]
In July 2010, Iyer supported a campaign to introduce Islamic banking and finance into India. "I welcome Islamic finance in India, Islamic finance has proven successful in poverty alleviation and promoting sustainable growth in many countries, including the United States, and it is very relevant in our country where 20 million people are starving," Iyer said.[3]
In 2002, Iyer was part of the citizen's panel[4] formed to investigate the Gujarat riots along with retired justices RB Sawant and others. In August 2011, Iyer addressed the CM of Gujarat as[1] "my dear venerable Modi". "I hold you high as chief minister and as a model for other chief ministers in the country," .[2]
In June 2008 Iyer was among several leading jurists and civil rights activist who signed an open letter urging Iran to abide by international human rights conventions and release the detainees immediately of the leadership of the Bahá'í Faith in Iran.[5] See Arrest of Bahá'í leaders.
There are around 70 published books by V. R. Krishna Iyer which includes four travelogues. Wandering in Many Worlds ( ISBN 978-81-317-1835-3 ) is the autobiography of V.R. Krishna Iyer. There are five published books by other authors about him.
| Name of the book | Year | Name of Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Law and the People | 1972 | Peoples Publishing House, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi. |
| Law, Freedom and Change | 1975 | Affiliated East West Press Pvt. Ltd., 5, General Patters Road, Madras |
| Law India, Some Contemporary Challenges | 1976 | University College of Law, Nagpur. |
| Jurisprudence and Juris-Conscience à la Gandhi | 1976 | Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221/3-Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi-2 |
| Social Mission of Law | 1976 | Orient Longmans Ltd., 160, Anna Salai, Madras-2 |
| Law & Social Change and Indian Overview | 1978 | Publication Bureau, Punjab University, Chandigarh |
| Social Justice and the Handicapped Humans | 1978 | The Academy of Legal Publications, Punnan Road, Trivandrum-695001 |
| The Integral Yoga of Public Law and Development in the Context of India | 1979 | The Institute of Constitutional & Parliamentary Studies, Vithal Bhai Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi |
| Of Law & Life | 1979 | Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., 20/4 Industrial Area, Ghaziabad, U.P. |