THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (TIP): Eminent jurist and member of Kerala’s first Communist government Justice V R Krishna Iyer, 99, died at a private hospital in Kochi at 3:30 pm on Dec 4 Justice Iyer was admitted to Medical Trust Hospital with breathing difficulties on November 24. The former Supreme Court judge celebrated entry into his 100th year on November 15 when prominent citizens from all walks of life came together to greet him. Born in 1915 to advocate V V Rama Iyer and Narayani Ammal in Palakkad district, Justice Iyer was one of Kerala’s most revered sons who continued to be responsive to social issues all through his post-retirement life in Kochi.

Justice Iyer is celebrated for his admission of PILs in court and for his Supreme Court judgments that interpreted law in the context of fundamental human rights. He retired as a Supreme Court judge in 1980. Iyer is survived by two sons. His wife Sharada died in 1974. A member of the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1952, Iyer was minister for Home, Law, Social Welfare, Power, Inland Navigation, Irrigation and Prisons in the 1957 Communist government of the state under E M S Namboodirippad. In 1987 he contested, unsuccessfully, in the presidential election against R Venkataraman. He was also a prolific writer with more than 50 titles on varied legal aspects to his name. ‘Wandering in Many Worlds’, an autobiography and ‘Maranaananthara Jeevitham’, a collection of essays on the concept of life after death, are also among his important works. He was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan in 1999.