KOCHI: Bid to take over Sadgamaya, the abode of the late Justice V R Krishna Iyer on MG Road in the heart of the city here, by real estate groups is raising eyebrows leading to instant reaction from the CPM Ernakulam district committee and the Justice Krishna Iyer Movement who have asked the State Government to take over it and preserve as a monument in memory of the jurist.
Real estate groups and a leading NRI businessman are understood to have evinced interest in the 15 cent plot and house. Iyer’s one son is in Chennai and the other one in the US. Prof. M.K. Sanu, a soul mate of the late Justice Iyer and patron of the Justice V R Krishna Iyer Movement told DC that the State Government should pay the necessary sum to the family of Justice Iyer and take over it to turn it into a memorial for a man who was a colossus in the social and legal sphere of the country.
“He was one of the architects of the land reforms and also jail reforms and police training reforms. He played a key role in the first ministry of the state and went on to become a Supreme Court judge. His stand against capital punishment became a talking point later. ‘Rarest of rare case’ was his coinage. He initiated public interest litigations (PILs) and as a judge took cognizance of the letter sent by prisoner from jail. His countless contributions do not end here and chronicling and keeping the memory of the great man through a suitable memorial at Sadgamaya is just the right move,” said Prof. M.K. Sanu.
Former MP and CPM district secretary P. Rajeev in a statement said that the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has agreed to consider it.”It has been a long standing demand to build a suitable memorial for Justice Iyer and Sadgamaya is the apt one for it. A memorial will guide future generations to the contributions made Justice Iyer in different spheres,” said Mr Rajeev.
