Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, one of the legendary judges of the Supreme Court of India, is known and admired for his strong commitment to the principles of equality, human dignity, and human justice which are amply reflected in his progressive judgments. This book pieces together the quintessential portions from the landmark judgments of Justice Iyer that he delivered during his tenure, first as a judge of the Kerala High Court, and then, as a judge of the Supreme Court of India. Divided into seven parts, the volume analyses the essence of the key judgments, and also interprets the circumstantial basis leading to the judicial decisions. It further examines their impact on different areas of jurisprudence such as constitutional law, law related to labour and services, criminal law, civil law, commercial law, and administrative law. The book, keeping pace with the dynamic character of case law, highlights important changes in law in recent times, and also substantiates and interprets them in light of the pertinent judgments from other judges.
Silence is not always golden”, once wrote Supreme Court Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer. Rather, what is golden has been the voice and pen of Mr Justice Iyer year after year from the bench—a voice with analytical rigour, moral clarity, and inspiration. In this volume, Advocate P.B. Sahasranaman has helped preserve and amplify that voice, giving it an even wider audience and bringing it to the attention of a new generation. Scholars, judges, and advocates around the world will find this book to be an indispensable celebration of Justice Iyer's refusal to be silent in the face of injustice.' — Professors John Bonine and Svitlana Kravchenko (Late) University of Oregon School of Law, USA ‘It is of enormous benefit to scholars, and to all those who value legal learning and wisdom, to have these judgments collected in book form. Justice Krishna Iyer's decisions speak of eternal truths and values. They will always be preserved in the law reports. But they deserve to be taken out and examined as fascinating examples of what it means for a court to do justice.' — David Pannick QC ‘The compilation of important judgments delivered by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer is commendable. It is acknowledged by the entire legal fraternity that every judgment of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer contained a new message and a new ratio, whether it is on criminal law, constitutional law, family law, fiscal law or any branch of civil law. His judgments on prisoners and prison jurisprudence were trend setting and became beacon light, not only for Indian legal system but even for international law. P.B. Sahasranaman deserves admiration for undertaking this work.' — Justice K.T. Thomas, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India
This unique compilation will be of interest to judges, lawyers, and teachers as well as students of law. It will also appeal to scholars and general readers.
P.B. Sahasranaman Advocate, High Court of Kerala and Supreme Court of India. He is a member of the Kerala State Law Reforms Commission.