Justice K. Chandru (born 1951), is an Indian advocate and former judge of

Madras High Court The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...

. Chandru has disposed of 96,000 cases during his tenure as a Judge. Chandru is known for a case which took place in 1993 when he was practising as a lawyer, to which the film

Jai Bhim Jai Bhim (alternatively spelled Jay Bhim or Jai Bheem; ) is a slogan and greeting used by followers of B. R. Ambedkar, an Indian scholar, social reformer and the chief architect of the Constitution of India. It refers to Ambedkar's given name ...

is dedicated.

Early life

Chandru was born in Srirangam in Tiruchirappalli District,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. He was a former student activist of

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in term ...

. He was expelled from Loyola College, Chennai for leading student agitations. He then joined

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institu ...

in his third year of college to finish his undergraduate education. After graduation, he did community service and full-time political and party work of CPI (M) till 1988. He later joined the law college in 1973 where he was not given a hostel seat due to him being a student leader, he later got his seat after going for an indefinite fast before the college campus. Chandru then worked at a law firm, Row & Reddy for eight years. He was expelled from the party in 1988 for opposing Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War since CPI(M) supported it. Chandru was inspired by

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served a ...

. He traveled throughout

, lived with different people and understood the plurality of the society and culture.

Career

K. Chandru as an advocate practiced both in criminal and civil side in the

. He was made an Additional Judge of the High Court on 31 July 2006, and was made a permanent Judge on 9 November 2009. Justice K. Chandru was a well-respected judge among the judiciary and is known for his judgments that impacted the lives of many impoverished and downtrodden people. During his judicial career, Justice K. Chandru pronounced over 96,000 verdicts. He was known for fighting against caste discrimination and for the rights of backward communities in Tamil Nadu. He did not want a security guard and didn't want to be addressed as "My Lord" in courts. He retired as a judge in 2013 and did not accept a farewell. He now lives in Chennai.

In popular culture

The 2021 movie ''

'' was made around a legal case fought by K. Chandru in 1993. Actor

Suriya Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...

played the role of Chandru. Chandru was involved in the making of the film from the story discussion to post-production.

Books

*''Ambedkar Oliyil Enathu Theerppukal'' (Light of

Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly of India, Constit ...

in my judgments) * *Needhi - Oru Meyadha Maan https://www.commonfolks.in/books/d/neethi-oru-meyaatha-maan *நானும் நீதிபதி ஆனேன் (சுயசரிதை) https://www.commonfolks.in/books/d/naanum-neethipathi-aanen

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandru, K. Judges of the Madras High Court 20th-century Indian judges 20th-century Indian lawyers 1951 births Living people