Supreme Court justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan honored the late distinguished legal scholar and former Supreme Court judge, Justice VR Krishna Iyer, at a lecture titled “In Search of Being Right: Citizens, Governance & Courts.” The lecture was organized by the OP Jindal Global University and Jindal Global Law School.
Justice Kant reflected on how the late judge’s stance on the broad interpretation of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution consistently influenced his approach to decision-making in courts, while Justice Viswanathan lauded Justice Iyer as a “one-man pressure group” known for his exceptional progressive views and judicial activism.
Justice Kant, poised to assume the role of Chief Justice of India in November 2025, hailed Justice Iyer as a “champion of the people,” asserting that the principles articulated by the late judge through his rulings have become an enduring and integral aspect of constitutional jurisprudence. Recalling some of Justice Iyer’s remarkable judgments on the right to life and liberty under Article 21, Justice Kant underscored the late judge’s efforts to bolster victims’ rights in India and the obligatory restitution by wrongdoers for the harm caused.
“I believe that Indian jurisprudence will continue to thrive by adhering to the principles of liberty, human rights, and constitutional morality championed by Justice Krishna Iyer throughout his tenure,” emphasized Justice Kant.
The judges said, that Justice Iyer’s much-quoted remark – “Bail is the rule, jail is an exception” in a 1977 judgment remains the foundation on which the criminal justice system should stand, while adding that his judgments dealing with the issues of fundamental rights, plight of undertrial prisoners and commitment to social justice exalted the status of the Indian Supreme Court.
Justice Iyer was a former legislator and also a minister in the Kerala government. He was elevated as a judge in the Supreme Court in 1973 and retired after a tenure of seven years. He was the President of the Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity (FDCA), Kerala Chapter. FDCA has set up an award in honor of former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer; this award is given to citizens who have made exceptional contributions to the protection of democratic values and communal harmony. Justice Iyer passed away in 2014 at the age of 99.