Justice Krishna Iyer's Principles Are Needed Now More Than Ever; Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, speaking at an event organised by the Capital Foundation Society at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, to celebrate Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer's 110th birth anniversary, reflected on Justice Iyer's transformative contribution to India's constitutional jurisprudence. He highlighted Justice Iyer's extraordinary life—as a political activist, minister, lawyer,...
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, speaking at an event organised by the Capital Foundation Society at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, to celebrate Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer's 110th birth anniversary, reflected on Justice Iyer's transformative contribution to India's constitutional jurisprudence. He highlighted Justice Iyer's extraordinary life—as a political activist, minister, lawyer, judge, thinker and writer—and emphasized that his humanist philosophy aligned deeply with constitutional values.
Justice Bhuyan noted that Justice Iyer's judicial legacy expanded the horizons of Article 21, strengthened social justice, human rights, bail jurisprudence, and prison reforms, and laid the foundation for India's legal aid system through key committees that eventually led to Article 39A and the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. He recalled Justice Iyer's powerful stance against the death penalty and his pivotal opinions in Maneka Gandhi, Moti Ram, Sunil Batra and other landmark cases.
Justice Bhuyan also addressed the current challenges faced by the judiciary, he emphasised the importance of judicial independence, institutional introspection, and constructive public criticism. He expressed concern over recent attacks on the judiciary, describing them as assaults on the institution. Citing Wikimedia Foundation v. Ani Media and Justice Krishna Iyer's views in S. Mulgaokar, he reiterated that while debates should be welcomed, malicious attacks must be dealt with firmly to safeguard democracy.
Justice Bhuyan mentioned that toward the end of his life, Justice Krishna Iyer started believing in the theory of rebirth. Bhuyan concluded by expressing his wish that if rebirth were possible, Justice Krishna Iyer should be reborn as a judge—remarking that India needs bold and courageous judges like him now more than ever.