Justice VR Krishna Iyer Is Product Of Social & Cultural Milieu Of Kerala: Justice P S Narasimha

Speaking at the 9th VR Krishna Iyer Memorial Law Lecture organized by the Sarada Krishna Satgamaya Foundation for Law and Justice at the Kerala High Court today, Supreme Court Judge Justice P.S. Narasimha remarked that eminent judge and jurist Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer was one who transcended religion and region. 

Justice Narasimha said that Justice Iyer had embarked on an elaborative discourse on the twin values of Fraternity and Dignity in his decisions. Justice Narasimha added that Justice Iyer had been considerably influenced by the social and cultural milieu of Kerala.

"Justice Krishna Iyer is the product of the cultural and social milieu of Kerala and we cannot forget that."

Justice Narasimha said that Kerala throughout its history has been a fertile ground for spiritual masters, intellectual trial blazers and social reformers. This is a mix of beautiful cultures and regions. He added that Justice Iyer was definitely influenced as "Kerala has a canvass of a universal spirit, that is spiritual consciousness beautifully integrated with social consciousness." 

Elaborating on fraternity, Justice Narasimha said that it can be traced to the preamble of the Constitution. Fraternity means the dignity of the individual. He added that fraternity is a universal spirit and dignity is how one treats the other. He further added that the constitutional value is the value of fraternity. Justice Narasimha said that Justice Iyer lived in this cultural and social milieu of Kerala which has imbibed both the values of fraternity and dignity. He said that Justice Iyer had compassion for individuals and strived for the upliftment of weaker sections of people. 

He quipped that Justice Iyer had discovered perennial values of the Constitution from many unwritten portions of the document. 

"There are unwritten portions of the Constitution which are silent. These are those silent parts of the Constitution which he would've recognized and translated in the interpretation of the Constitution," he said. 

Justice Narasimha also mentioned the names of three great ladies of the country who were from Kerala, the only Dalit woman of the constituent assembly- Dakshayani Velayudhan, the first woman judge- Justice Anna Chandy and the first chief Justice of the Supreme Court- Justice Fathima Beevi. Taking the names of these great women personalities from Kerala he said, 

"Kerala is a fertile ground for lawyers and judges to develop that attitude, develop that desire to look at the Constitution and interpret closely to that perennial value." 

Justice Narasimha said that Justice Iyer was a very hardworking lawyer, he developed his capabilities from time to time through his sadhana. He said that Justice Iyer had a lot of knowledge and he subjected these facts to scrutiny, analyzed it deeply and tested it to see if those facts were truthful or not. 

He added that Justice Iyer was also a very active citizen and a lawyer with a heart who would look at the difficulties of his clients. His compassion for people continued throughout his life, even when he was a judge. Justice Narasimha said that Justice Iyer played multiple roles in his life which gave him a vast amount of experiences. 

"He was a legislator, he was in the political executive, he was in the law commission. These experiences that he had were invaluable, were used by him to go closer and closer to the truth."

Justice Narasimha went on to speak about the frailty of human life. He added that even when people know the truth they would be reluctant to act upon it. He remarked that 'human vulnerabilities' force people to not accept or act according to the truth. He said that only extraordinary people like Justice Iyer who has sheer will and sadhana could recognize and act towards truth. 

"He acted in furtherance of truth and for which he had the courage."

He concluded by saying that Justice Iyer was a combination of capability and courage, which are eternal values not just for lawyers but for all persons. 

Chief Justice of Kerala High Court AJ Desai, Attorney General for India R Ventkataramani, former Supreme Court judge Justice KM Joseph also spoke at the event.

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