Kaleeswaram Raj is an Indian lawyer practising in the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

and the

High Court of Kerala The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...

. He has successfully argued for decriminalisation of the offence of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

in India.

Legal career

Raj practises in the fields of civil, criminal and constitutional law. There are about five hundred reported judgments on which he is counsel of record. Before the Supreme Court of India, in ''Joseph Shine v Union of India'', he appeared as the lead counsel for the petitioner. In that case, the top court of India struck down Section 497 of the

Indian Penal Code The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The code was drafted on the recommendations of first law commission of India established in ...

, which criminalised adultery, as unconstitutional. He also appeared before the Supreme Court of India in the Government advertisements case (2015), Kerala Liquor Policy case and National Highway liquor ban case (2017). He was appointed as ''

Amicus curiae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

'' in various cases. He appeared for the victims of the

endosulfan Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is being phased out globally. It became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor. ...

tragedy in the Kasargod district in Kerala. In that case the Supreme Court of India directed the Kerala Government to pay compensation to the child victims. He has also argued in the Maratha reservation case in which the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court set aside the reservation as excessive, illegal and unconstitutional. Raj has argued in the case relating to Freedom of Speech of public functionaries in which the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court said that no additional restrictions can be imposed upon them, other than what is permissible under Article 19(2) of the Constitution. He appeared before another Constitution Bench in ''Janhit Abhiyan Vs Union of India''. In this case the Supreme Court upheld the 103rd amendment to the Constitution that introduced quota for economically weaker sections. In ''Indian Medicines Pharmaceuticals Corporation Ltd Vs Kerala Ayurvedic Co-Operative Society Ltd & Ors'', where he was the respondent's counsel, the Supreme Court reiterated the need for transparent process of public tenders in the Government contracts. The Supreme Court in ''Anoop Baranwal Vs Union of India ", ''has accepted his contentions in support of the petitioners. In this litigation, the Constitution Bench of the court directed that an independent body consisting of the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader has to select the Election Commission of India.''

Writing

Raj has written articles appeared in leading newspapers in India, including ''The Hindu'', ''

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

'', ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'', ''

Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...

'' and ''The Statesman'', as well as journals such as ''

Economic and Political Weekly The ''Economic and Political Weekly'' (''EPW'') is a weekly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all social sciences, and is published by the Sameeksha Trust. In January 2018, academic Gopal Guru was named the new Editor of the journal. Guru wil ...

'', ''Frontline'' and ''Mainstream Weekly''. He has also written in the law journals. His published works in English include "Commentaries on

Marumakkathayam Marumakkathayam was a system of matrilineal inheritance prevalent in regions what now form part of the southern Indian state Kerala. Descent and the inheritance of property was traced through females. It was followed by all Nair castes, Ambalav ...

law" (1995, along with Ms. K.P. Suchitra), "The Spirit of Law" (2012), "Rethinking Judicial Reforms: Reflections on Indian Legal System" ( 2017) and "Constitutional Concerns : Writings on Law and Life" (2022).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raj, Kaleeswaram Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Indian lawyers People from Kerala