Former Supreme Court judge Justice AR Lakshmanan passed away on Thursday. The 78-year-old died at a private hospital in Trichy after suffering from a cardiac ailment. Politicians across party lines condoled the death of the former judge. Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, DMK chief MK Stalin and former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram all expressed their condolences and recalled his contribution to the justice system.
Justice Lakshmanan was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2002, and he retired from the post in 2007. He subsequently held the post of Chairman of the Law Commission. He had been appointed as a Madras High Court judge in 1990 and then took over as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court in 1997. He then later served as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh High Court, till he was elevated to the Supreme Court.
"Justice AR Lakshmanan was a prominent advocate. He has through his efficient arguments won several cases. He is particularly known for being part of the bench that banned smoking in public places," said Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami in a statement. "He had established his place in the justice system through hard work and smart arguments. His death is a huge loss for the state and the justice system," he added.
DMK Chief MK Stalin meanwhile recalled how as Chairman of the Law Commission, the retired judge had termed making Hindi as a compulsory language in the Supreme Court as non-feasible in 2008.
"To change the language in which Acts are drafted and to require Courts to deliver judgments in Hindi is at present something impossible to conceive - unless we throw out our legal system and adopt a new one by consensus. Indians would then all have to speak and think in Hindi in a new indigenous system of law that is truly Indian (and not Anglo Saxon): this requires a major surgical operation and at the present time I would earnestly suggest that we postpone this exercise till India has become what it was always meant to be: a unified, united and pluralistic society of peace loving citizens," the former Justice had noted.
"I was saddened beyond words when I heard of the passing of former Justice AR Lakshmanan. He had given several important and appreciable judgments including not making Hindi compulsory in the Supreme Court. My condolences to his family," tweeted Stalin.
Former Sivaganga MP P Chidambaram recalled the deceased judge's link to his constituency. The former justice was born in Sivaganga district in 1942.
"I express my condolences for the death of former Justice AR Lakshmanan who brought pride to Tamil Nadu and Sivaganga," tweeted the Congress leader.