Justice Dr. AR. Lakshmanan

Justice Dr. AR. Lakshmanan

-Award Winner for outstanding judge and Champion of Social Causes and Human Rights

-by Ramani.VB

Shri AR Lakshmanan, son of Shri.L AR.Arunachalam Chettiar, is one of the distinguished and eminent Indian hailing from the district of Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. Born on 22/03/1942, Shri.Lakshmanan, even as a school student, developed a strong passion to join the judiciary . He used to read with keen interest, all the court Judgements reported in the newspapers. He blazed through his academic studies to graduate in Economics from St.Joseph’s College, Trichy. Following his heart’s dictates, he completed Bachelor of Law from Madras Law College in the year 1966.

It was the hands of the then Chief Justice K.Veerasamy that led him into the portals of what turned out to be a most distinguished judicial career. While attending a function in Devakottai at the invitation of AR Lakshmanan, Shri.Veerasamy persuaded AR Lakshmanan’s father to send him to Chennai to embark on a legal career. This set him on his career course.

AR Lakshmanan enrolled as a Lawyer on 10^th Jan 1968 and served as Junior under eminent lawyers Shri.G.Ramanjuan, Shri.K.Venkataswami and R.Krishnamurthy before starting to practice on his own. He had independent practice in varied branches of Law including Civil, Criminal, Company Law, Taxation, Insolvency, Trade Marks and Patents Law, Matrimonial, Admiralty, Writ jurisdiction etc.,

After serving as a Lawyer for 23 years, Shri. AR Lakshmanan was appointed as Government Pleader for Tamil Nadu to represent their matters in the Madras High Court and Supreme Court. His knowledge and skills as well as the meticulous preparation and hard work he put in to argue various matters were noticed and appreciated by all. In 1990, he was appointed by the President of India as a Permanent Judge in Madras High Court. After 7 ½ years of tenure in this position, he was transferred to Kerala High Court. From there he went on to serve as Chief Justice at High Courts at Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. He was finally elevated as a Judge of Supreme Court in the year 2002.

During his tenures as Judge, Chief Justice at High Court and Justice at Supreme Court he has delivered more than 98000 Judgements !!! His legal acumen reflected in each and every one of his judgement. Many of them have been recognised and appreciated as thought Provoking Judgements in the history of Indian Judiciary. The land mark Judgement delivered by him as a member of a Division Bench which banned smoking in public places is the one considered by him as an important Judgement.

He retired as a Judge of the Supreme Court in 2007 and was appointed as Chairman of the 18^th Law Commission of India. In a short span before retirement from this post in 2009, he had submitted 32 reports to the Government of India recommending various measures to improve the Judicial System in India.

It is natural that the service of a person of the calibre of Shri.AR Lakshmanan is much sought after by various Judicial, quasi-Judicial and non-Judicial institutions. He was the secretary of Madras Bar Association four times, the founder-chancellor of the National Law University at odhpur, Revising author of Wharton’s Law Lexicon (15^th Edition), Editorial member in Indian Law Institute, Delhi, Chairman of COFEPOSA Advisory Board and Chairman of NSA Advisory Board. He served as Legal Advisor for Bank of Madura, City Union Bank, Canara Bank, IOB, New India Assurance Company and was the standing counsel for University of Madras, Food Corporation of India, MGR Medical University at various times.

He recognised that, to dispose of the large pendancy of cases in courts, alternative disputes resolution methods have to be promoted. This made him to take special interest in arbitration system. He has served an arbitrator in Indian Council of Arbitrators (Judge’s category) and also as member—panel arbitrator in International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR), New Delhi. Incidentally, he was nominated as the Representative of the State of Tamil Nadu to the Empowered Committee constituted by the Supreme Court to resolve the dispute with regard to the Mullai Periyar Dam between States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Like others from Nattukottai Nagarathar Community (Chettiars), he has deep social commitment and spends considerable time and efforts to improve the welfare of the people.

As one may expect, awards and felicitations were showered upon him by the grateful Indian Community in recognition of his distinguished services as an outstanding judge and Champion of Social Causes and Human Rights. “Shiromani Vikas Award for National Integration and Development” (By Tamil Nadu Govt), “Bharat Shiromani Award – 2009” (By Orissa Government), “Doctor of Laws” (By Annamalai University), “For the Sake of Honour” (Rotary Club, Chennai) are a few of those awards.

A prolific reader and writer, Shri.AR Lakshmanan has authored many books, both in Tamil and English. “Neethiyin Kural” (“The Voice of Justice”) and “The Judge Speaks” contain hundreds of lectures delivered by him on various judicial and social issues. “Varalatru Suvadugal” is a look-back genre and “Kalamellam Vasantham” is his auto biography in Tamil. The next book “Ponmalar Cholai (Tamil)” will contain key speeches made by him in various Tamil Forums and Conferences. The value of the contents of each of his books has been endorsed with forewords by eminent persons including Shri.APJ Abdul Kalam, Mrs.Pratibha Patil, Dr.Manmohan Singh.

Shri.AR Lakshmanan holds varied interest in life. He is a Life Member of Mylapore Academy, Vice President of Tamil Isai Sangam, Chennai and Former President of Cosmopolitan Club, Chennai.

Member of India International Centre, New Delhi and so many other social and cultural Clubs in India. He served as the Chief Justice of three High Courts namely Kerala, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Currently, he is the Chief of Panel, Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports.

He has also received the following awards:

♦ “Vijay Shree Award” for professional excellence.
♦ “Araneri Annal” Award from Shri.Kundrakudi Adheenam.
♦ “Arunthava Chemmal” Award from Koviloor Adheenam.
♦ “Kamarajar Award” from theMadras Mahajana Sabha.
♦ “Manicka Award” given by Nagarathars of Kandaramanickam.
♦ “Vishwa Bandhu” Award from Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore
♦ “Service to Arts and Culture” Award given by Mylapore Academy, Chennai.
♦ “Dynamic Indian of the Decade” Award from K.G. Foundation, Coimbatore.
♦ “Life Time Achievement” Award NRI Institute, Mauritius.
♦ “Kannadasan Pughal Kavalar” Award from Kannadasan Trust, Karaikudi.
♦ “Aanmigam Thiruppani Semmal” Award, given away by Koviloor Adheenam

He is also the Author of the following books:

► Needhiyin Kural – Foreword given by Former President of India, Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.
► Voice of Justice (Vol.I) – Foreword given by Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
► Voice of Justice (Vol.II) – Foreword by Shri K.G.Balakrishnan, Former Chief Justice of India and Shri P.Chidambaram, Finance Minister, Govt. of India.
► Varalatrlu Chuvadugal (Tamil) – Foreword by Justice S.Natarajan
► Arbitration Business and Commercial Laws
► Service and Labour Laws
► Constitutional Law
► Reports of the Law Commission of India
► Kalamellam Vasantham – an Auto Biography in Tamil
► The Judge Speaks – Released at Rashtrapathi Bhawan by the then President of India, Smt. Prathiba Patil.
► His books on “Needhiyin Kural – Vol. II” and “The Judge Speaks – Vol.II” will be launched at a meeting on 23^rd March 2013 by three Hon’ble Judges of the Supreme Court of India, viz. Mr Justice P.Sadasivam, Dr Justice B.S.Chauhan and Mr Justice Mukhopadhyaya and the Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Mr Justice R.K.Agrawal.
► His latest book in Tamil “Panmalar Cholai” is ready to be launched in May this year.
► Two other books are under print namely Criminal Justice and Contempt of Court and Tax Laws by the famous Universal Publications at New Delhi.

Dr Justice Lakshmanan says, he has usefully spent his time for 44 years on the legal and judicial side very happily and successfully to the satisfaction of public at large. He says, he had a satisfactory tenure in all the High Courts as a Judge and Chief Justice and as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Chairman of Law Commission of India and as the State Representative in the Mullai Periyar Dam Water Dispute between Tamil Nadu and Kerala States; and now as the Chief of Panel of Indian Courts of Arbitration for Sports. He enjoyed every moment of his stay usefully in all these places.

He and his family members have constructed a beautiful Temple for “Shirdi Sai Baba” in his hometown, Devakottai in Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu.

He is happily married to Mrs.Meenakshi and has two sons and two daughters.