K. Chandru is a former Indian Judge of the Madras High Court appointed in 2009 by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He is famous for adjudicating 96,000 cases in Madras High Court in six and a half years. He is also known for handling the case of a couple belonging to the Irula tribal community in Tamil Nadu, in which the husband was murdered by police in 1993 while in police custody. In 2021, a Tamil film titled Jai Bhim was filed under this case in favor of K. Chandru.
Wiki/Biography
K. Chandru was born on Tuesday, May 8, 1951, in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu (70 years old as of 2021). His zodiac sign is Taurus. K. Chandru graduated in two years from Loyola College, Chennai and in three years from Christian College, Madras, Tamil Nadu. In 1973, he began studying law.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Hair Color: Gray (Henna dyed)
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
The names of his parents are unknown.
wife and children
He married in 1990. His wife’s name is unknown. She is a retired university lecturer. The couple has a daughter.
Profession
K. Chandru became involved in the official work of the Communist Party of India during his graduation from Loyola College. He joined the party as a student activist. Soon after joining the Communist Party of India (Maoist), he formed a committee, which was set up after DMK president M. Karunanidhi ordered a probe into the killing of an Anna University student on police charges. Instigated by local students. K. Chandru was expelled from Loyola College during his sophomore year for participating in riots. Soon, he joined Madras Christian College to complete his third year. After graduating from college, K. Chandru performed community service as a full-time worker for the CPI(M) party. K. Chandru chose to study law in 1973 and while in college, the school authorities refused to provide him with hostel facilities due to his involvement in student politics. However, he got his seat when he protested against the accommodation by observing an indefinite fast before the college authorities. After completing his law degree, he practiced law continuously for eight years at Row & Reddy. During that time (1975-1977), a state of emergency was declared in India, resulting in the denial of several basic constitutional rights of Indian citizens. According to K. Chandru, he never supported the idea of a state of emergency as enshrined in the Indian constitution and said at a meeting that this constitution should be thrown into the Bay of Bengal. He narrated the incident in a conversation with a media outlet. He said,
In fact, at a meeting, I said that this constitution must be thrown into the Bay of Bengal. I also quoted a Chartist song,
“Long live the public, lawyers are idiots
The judges are going to jail.
The law is illegal, the commons are imperial
Judges are going to jail. “
K. Chandru joined the politics of the Tamil Nadu Bar Council and soon after resigning from the firm of Row & Reddy, he was elected as an executive member of the Bar Council. After joining the association, he is regarded as the youngest member of the Tamil Nadu Bar Council to join the business. He was the leader of the lawyers’ strike organized after serious lawyer-police clashes occurred simultaneously outside the Madras High Court. In 1988, he actively participated in the work of the Communist Party of India (M) and opposed Rajiv Gandhi’s interference in Sri Lankan affairs for breaking the agreement reached with Sri Lanka’s second president Jayawardene. K. Chandru was banned from CPI(M) work after making remarks against Ranjiv Gandhi. K. Chandru also stopped working as a party lawyer and union lawyer soon after resigning from the CPI(M). K. Chandru was promoted to the rank of Senior Advocate by the Tamil Nadu High Court in 1990. K. Chandru mastered the fields of criminal and civil law during his tenure in the Madras High Court. He was appointed Additional Judge of the Madras High Court in July 2006 and was promoted to Permanent Judge of the Court on November 9, 2009. K. Chandru has focused extensively on issues related to labour, services, education and human rights. . K. Chandru has also handled various cases before the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other reputed universities in India.
literature
In addition to his contributions to society as a lawyer and judge, he is also known for his literary works and has written several columns in various journals and tabloids. In 2021, a book titled “Chandru, Justice K. (2021)” was published. “Listen to my case!” : When Women Take to the Tamil Nadu Courts, written and published by K. Chandru, mentions 20 inspiring life examples of women who fought for justice for them. After the book was published, it became very popular across India.
Books written by Justice K. Chandru
Facts/Trivia
- His full name is Krishnaswamy Chandru.
- While working as a lawyer at the firm of Row & Reddy, K. Chandra traveled across Tamil Nadu by bus and truck to enhance his knowledge of the region’s legal studies, different lifestyles, speech patterns and caste system. Meanwhile, he slept in the homes of Dalit laborers, trade union leaders and poor farmers, eating whatever he could get his hands on. According to K. Chandru, these years were the most productive years of his life.
- During his career as a lawyer and judge, K. Chandru was a well-known figure who fought for justice to several oppressed people of Tamil Nadu. Throughout his career, he was extensively involved in the fight against caste discrimination in Tamil Nadu. He also worked to uphold the rights and laws of the backward groups in the region.
Justice K. Chandru talks to locals in Tamil Nadu
- As a judge, K. Chandru advocated for the rights of women in India. In September 2008, Justice K. Chandru delivered a popular judgment in favor of a woman whose cousin had not allowed her to perform Hindu rituals and rituals at a temple because her cousin believed he was performing Hindu rituals the authorized person. . The woman went to court over the dispute and High Court Judge K. Chandru’s logic in his judgment was that if the deity in the temple is female, then why is there a clamor for women to enter the temple? These temples and perform rituals according to their culture. He said,
Ironically, when the presiding deity of the temple is a goddess, people object to women performing puja in such temples… Women are prohibited from performing puja in the said temples, regardless of legal provisions or any plan. “
- K. Chandru retired from the Madras High Court on March 8, 2013. He denied having a personal bodyguard while he was a judge. During the hearing, he asked his lawyers not to refer to him as “My Lord” in the High Court. He also declined a retirement party hosted by his colleagues.
- In a conversation with media reporters, K. Chandru revealed that he follows Marxist ideology, which helped him understand BR Ambedkar’s ideology better. He told,
My Marxist background helped me understand Ambedkar better. “
- In 2021, a Tamil movie was made based on the real case handled by K. Chandru in 1993. The case is based on the custodial death of a poor snake charmer “Rajakannu” who was arrested by the police in a false theft case. Along with his two brothers. Rajakannu belongs to the Irula tribal community in Tamil Nadu. Because he denied the crime of theft until his last breath, he was beaten to death by the police. His body was dumped on a road in Kerala by the police. The case was supported by K. Chandru, lawyer of Rajakannu’s wife Parvati, who sought justice for her husband who went missing from jail after being brutally beaten by the police. Police claimed that Rajakannu escaped from police custody. The film is produced by Jyotika-Suriya and directed by TJ Gnanavel. After 13 years, the case was finally pronounced. In the end of the case, the three defendant police officers were sentenced to 14 years in prison. The entire script of the film was based on the initiative of K. Chandru, who was involved in the narration of the story from beginning to end in the film.
Poster of the movie Jai Bhim
- After the movie “Jai Bhim” was released, K. Chandru narrated his experience in an interview with media reporters after watching the movie “Jai Bhim”. He discussed,
The first time I saw this movie, I saw it just like everyone else. Soon, in many of the scenes depicting lawyers, I recognized some of my mannerisms and noticed movements and dialogue I might have used before. These scenes keep reminding me of my life 30 years ago. “
K. Chandru joins film director and producer to promote film Jai Bhim
- K. Chandru declared his personal assets on the first day he joined the Madras High Court as an advocate and he also mentioned his net worth while leaving the High Court after his retirement. K. Chandru also surrendered his official car on the pension day and boarded a local train to return home.
- As a judge, he settled 96,000 cases in six and a half years. He said in an interview with the media that he increased his working time in the court, reading lawyers’ statements to quickly announce the verdict of the case. He said,
I used to arrive at the court 15 minutes early and leave the court an hour after the court proceedings were over. I tried to increase court time. Also, in admissions matters, I will not listen to an attorney unless I want the matter dismissed. I’ll read the brief and if it’s an issue that needs to be admitted, then I don’t need to hear from a lawyer. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education