KOCHI: If all goes well, Justice VR Krishna Iyer’s house — Sadgamaya — on MG Road will be converted into a memorial. As a first step, the state government has begun discussions with Krishna Iyer’s children, said Minister for Industries and Law P Rajeeve.
The minister said he was alerted that the house of Kerala’s first law minister and Supreme Court judge had been put up for sale. “I brought this issue to the notice of the Chief Minister who asked us to look into the possibilities of the state government acquiring the property,” he said.
Rajeeve, who visited Sadgamaya on Thursday, said the state government had been deliberating about setting up a memorial for Krishna Iyer. “It was at this juncture that we heard the property was put up for sale. So the government decided to approach Justice Krishna Iyer’s children with an offer to take over the house,” he said. The government got in touch with his son, who is based in Chennai. “Justice Iyer’s children had already begun the process to sell the house. They have expressed willingness to sell the house, in its current condition, to the government,” Rajeeve said.
The first round of talks regarding the matter is over and a decision would be arrived at very soon, the minister added. Meanwhile, the members of the Justice Krishna Iyer Movement have expressed happiness over the development.
“The house is filled with a lot of memories,” said Dr Sanil Kumar, member, Justice Krishna Iyer Movement. “If the government initiates steps to conserve it as a memorial for him, it would be a great thing,” he added. All memorabilia associated with Justice Iyer had been removed from the house and left with the Sarada Krishna Satgamaya Foundation for Law and Justice, for safekeeping.
“The most valuable ones have been transferred to the custody of the state museum department. The rest are kept safely in a room belonging to the foundation,” said a foundation official. Sadgamaya was a beehive of activity during the legal luminary’s lifetime. More than a house, it was a refuge for like-minded people who stood with Krishna Iyer in his fights and interventions on social issues.