Justice C N Ramachandran Nair retires

Senior Judge C.N Ramachandran Nair (L) poses 
with Chief Justice Manjula Chellur after a send-off meeting at High Court  of Kerala. Photo: The Hindu/ Vipin Chandran. 

By Nebil Nizar

Thiruvananthapuram: Senior most Kerala High Court Judge CN Ramachandran Nair hangs up his robes after serving the Bench for nearly eleven years. 

C.N Ramachandran Nair, native of Kottayam District in Kerala, after obtaining his degree in Law, enrolled as an advocate on 09.11.1975 and started practice at Ernakulam. He practiced specially Criminal Appeals and Tax Matters before the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala.  

His Lordship was appointed as an Additional Judge of High Court of Kerala on 07.09. 2001 and confirmed as a Permanent Judge of the High Court of Kerala with effect from 27-11-2002. His Lordship also officiated as the Acting Chief Justice of High Court of Kerala.

During his 11 years as a High Court Judge, he delivered over 46,000 Judgments. Many of his Judgments were milestones and greatly discussed in Public domain. Ban on Public meetings on roadsides, Salary of Pre Primary and CBSE Teachers, are few examples. It is also to be noted that all his controversial Judgments were upheld and declared to be within law, by the Supreme Court of India. 

Many of his observations and directions were also widely quoted in the press. Court Slams PSU Banks, says you are in money and not in property business (Financial Express, Sep 25, 2012). Court for LPG Transportation by Rail (The Hindu, 20^th September 2012). HC directs probe into unrecognized marine courses in Kerala (Business Line, 25^th September 2012). Court orders compensation to ISRO Scientist (The Hindu, 07^thSeptember 2012). It is better to close down engineering colleges with low pass percentage (NDTV, June 29, 2012). “Judges are handling human problems which have to be dealt realistically with a human angle, though it may involve some flexibility of the legal principles,” said Justice C N Ramachandran Nair addressing a gathering at a Full Court Reference to honor him on his retirement from Bench. He also added “I have not sacrificed any of the public interests to uphold any principle of law because I always believed that litigation is to solve human problems and not to evolve abstract principles of law’’.  He further added ‘’I believe that law is a tool to render justice and not to justify or perpetuate injustice,” 

Prof. Manoj Krishna of Government Law College Thiruvananthapuram says ‘Justice C N Ramachandran Nair was a down to earth judge with total commitment to the society. His Judgments were testimony to his deep awareness and knowledge in law. By sheer number of cases he decided in the span of eleven years and the quality of judgments, he was a real leader in our High Court’.Leading vernacular daily Mathrubhumi reports that C.N Ramachandran Nair will don the lawyers coat once again. He shall be practicing law before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.



(Originally published at http://glctvpmlaw.blogspot.in/2012/09/patriarch-retires.html)

T P Kelu Nambiar, Senior Advocate, Dies at 85

By NEBIL NIZAR

Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Lawyer and Constitutional Expert TP Kelu Nambiar, 85, passed away at his residence in Cochin on 16^th September 2012 following a cardiac arrest in sleep.

Senior Adv. T P Kelu Nambiar
Photo: The New Indian Express

TPK Nambiar was a respectful, courteous, competent and open-minded soul who spoke his convictions without fear or favour. His friends and well-wishers at Bar, Bench and Academia remember him as an erudite lawyer and academician. Nambiar also believed that it was his duty to correct a Judge. He was a no nonsense man.

TPK Nambiar after his schooling from Ooty and Pre University from Madras Christian College studied Economics at St. Aloysius College, Mangalore. After a short stint as a School Teacher, he decided make law his mistress. He then joined Madras Law College (now Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai), where he completed his Bachelors in Law (BL).  He is also a Masters in Law(ML) in Criminal Laws from University of Madras.

He enrolled as an Advocate in the Madras High Court in 1954. Joined the chambers of his father-in-law and leading civil lawyer A Achuthen Nambiar. In 1956, after the formation of High Court of Kerala, he shifted his practice there.

Speaking to TheTimes of India, Adv. Kaleeshwaram Raj said: Nambiar was a three in one personality, a good lawyer, a teacher and a good writer.

He was the lawyer for Kerala Public Service Commission for 17years. He was also the lawyer for Goa Public Service Commission. Standing Counsel for Kerala and MG University. Also Lawyer for Reserve Bank of India(RBI), State Bank of India (SBI), Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), United India Insurance Company,  Sree Chithira Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala Cashew Development Corporation (KCDC), Rehabilitation Plantation Corporation.

He was the patron of legal reporter Kerala Law Times. TPK Nambiar published a book comprising a collection of his articles in the title ‘Nambiar’s Miscellany’.

He contributed to the academia as well. He was a member of Board of Studies of MG University and member of Faculty of Law, Kerala University. He was appointed as a lecturer by the Bar Council of Kerala for the law apprentices and by the High Court for Trainee Munsiffs and Magistrates.

He also taught law for five years at His Highness Maharajah’s Government Law College Ernakulam. His students then include Union Cabinet Ministers- A.K Antony and Vayalar Ravi; Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy, Former Chief Justice of India Dr. K G Balakrishnan, former High Court Judge K Narayana Kurup.

His wife and three children survive him. Condolence messages may be sent to Dr. Hemalatha Nambiar, ‘Anamika’, Karakkat Road, Kochi-16, Kerala, India.


(Originally published at http://glctvpmlaw.blogspot.in/2012/09/homage-to-legal-maverick.html)