Vettath Balakrishna Eradi (19 June 1922 – 30 December 2010) was a Judge of

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 ...

. He also served as the Chief Justice of the

Kerala High Court 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 ...

and as President of the

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) of India is a quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Its head office is in New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dill ...

(NCDRC) and the Chairman of Ravi & Beas Waters Disputes Tribunal. Eradi was also noted for his role in several spiritual, cultural, and social organizations.

Career

Eradi enrolled as an advocate in

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 ...

. He began his profession as junior to K. Kuttikrishna Menon, before starting an independent practice in the Madras High Court. He was later appointed by the Madras Government as Junior Counsel to conduct several Government cases. Eradi shifted his practice to

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

in 1956 when the new

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 ...

was established. In 1961, he was appointed Senior Government Pleader in the Kerala High Court where he conducted several important Government cases. He was also doing private practice during this time. In April 1967, Balakrishna was appointed Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court and six months later elevated as Permanent Judge. During his tenure at Kerala High Court, he was appointed Chairman of several committees, including the High Court Committee appointed by the Government of Kerala for suggesting ways and means of raising the standard of legal education in the State. Eradi was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala in January 1980 and was elevated to the Judge of the

a year later. While functioning as Judge of the Supreme Court, he was appointed by Government of India as Chairman of the

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...

and

Beas Beas is a riverfront town in the Amritsar district of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Punjab, India, Punjab. Beas lies on the banks of the Beas River. Beas town is mostly located in revenue boundary of Budha Theh wit ...

Waters Tribunal for adjudication of the dispute regarding sharing of the Punjab River waters between States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Justice Eradi retired from the Bench of the Supreme Court on attaining the age of superannuation in 1987. ;After retirement In 1988, he was appointed President of the

, a post he held until he retired in 1997. In 1999 he was appointed Chairman of the National Company Law Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal, a High Level Committee to examine the existing laws relating to winding up proceedings of companies in order to remodel it in line with the latest developments. Eradi was actively connected with cultural and social service organizations and was President of International Centre for

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

since 1982 and was also the President of ''Swaralaya'', a Carnatic music society of India. He was a Member of the Council of Management of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust from its inception in 1972. After the retirement he stayed in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

with his wife, Saraswathy Eradi and later shifted to

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

and was residing at Chalappuram. Balakrishnan Eradi died on 30 December 2010 at a private hospital in Kozhikode.

Awards and honors

Eradi received several awards during his long career, including the National Press of India Golden Jubilee Award, Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, the National Citizenship Award, and the Shiromani Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eradi, V. Balakrishna 1922 births 2010 deaths Judges of the Kerala High Court People from Kozhikode Malayali people Justices of the Supreme Court of India University of Madras alumni Chief Justices of the Kerala High Court 20th-century Indian judges