THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Justice V R Krishna Iyer was a beacon of justice who stood for the marginalised and less privileged, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He was speaking after inaugurating the V R Krishna Iyer Award function here on Saturday.
The V R Krishna Iyer Awards for 2023 and 2024 were presented to former vice-chancellor of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies Prof N K Jayakumar and journalist Venkitesh Ramakrishnan.
Kerala always listened to Iyer’s opinions on social and political matters. He was the voice of the marginalised and silenced people. His verdicts and observations were reference materials of law students. He held the portfolios of law, jail and social welfare in the EMS Government. During his tenure as a judge in the High Court and Supreme Court, Iyer used the judicial system to ensure social justice.
Iyer had a strong commitment to society, Pinarayi said.
“He was arrested and jailed a day after he represented CPM leader A K Gopalan in a court case. Krishna Iyer famously said being poor in India is not a crime. He was a versatile genius,” the CM said.
Pinarayi congratulated the award winners. He said Jayakumar made immense contributions to the law sector. He had a diverse background in which he served as an academician, vice-chancellor and legislature secretary,” Pinarayi added.