Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer

Dewan Bahadur Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer (14 May 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an Indian lawyer and member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which was responsible for framing the Constitution of India. He also served as the Advocate General of Madras State from 1929 to 1944. Noted neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran is the grandson of Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer.

For other people named Krishnaswami, see Krishnaswami.

Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar
Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
(Nominated)
In office
3 April 1952 – 3 October 1953
Member of Constituent Assembly of India
In office
9 December 1946 – 24 January 1950
Advocate General of Madras Presidency
In office
1929–1944
Preceded byT. R. Venkatarama Sastri
Succeeded byP. V. Rajamannar
Personal details
Born(1883-05-14)14 May 1883
Pudur, Madras Presidency, India
Died(1953-10-03)3 October 1953
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Spouse(s)Venkalakshmamma

Early life

Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer was born in 1883 to a Tamil Brahmin Family in the small village of Pudur in Madras State (present day Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh). His father, Ekamra Sastry, was a priest. Krishnaswamy passed his matriculation examination in 1899 and joined the Madras Christian College to study history. Alladi used his spare time to attend classes in law and passed the B.L. exam and became one of the leading members of the bar. He was made a Dewan Bahadur in 1930 and was knighted in the 1932 New Year Honours List.[1] He was married to Venkalakshmamma.

He was the Advocate General of the Madras Presidency from 1929 to 1944. He played a major role in drafting the Constitution of India.[2]

Role in Constituent Assembly

The main architect of Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, who also chaired the constitution's drafting committee, credited Alladi's contribution: "There were in the drafting committee men bigger, better and more competent than myself such as my friend Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer."[3] When the Constituent Assembly adopted the principle of universal adult franchise, Shri A.K. Iyer, a member, remarked that this was done, "with an abundant faith in the common man and the ultimate success of democratic rule, and in the full belief that the introduction of democratic government on the basis of adult suffrage will bring enlightenment and promote the well-being, the standard of life, the comfort, and the decent living of the common man".[5][4] He was a part of nine committees including: Drafting Committee and Advisory Committee.[5] In the Constituent Assembly he defended suspension of certain political rights in circumstances of national crisis.[6]

Alladi Memorial Trust

Alladi Memorial Trust was founded in 1983 by Alladi Kuppuswami to commemorate the birth centenary of his father Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer. It is aimed to help poor litigants, lawyers and students of law and for helping in the administration of justice. Alladi Memorial Lectures are delivered every year on issues relating to the Indian Constitution.[7] The lecturers included V. R. Krishna Iyer, Y. V. Chandrachud, P. C. Rao, Pavani Parameswara Rao, Nandita Haksar, Rama Devi and M. Jagannadha Rao.

References
  1. V.S, Ravi (28 September 2003). "Tribute: Legal Luminary". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  2. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 191.
  3. Davar, Praveen (13 June 2015). "The legacy of BR Ambedkar". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. http://cadindia.clpr.org.in/search?tag%5Bspeaker%5D%5B%5D=Alladi+Krishnaswamy+Ayyar&document_type%5B%5D=1&document_type%5B%5D=0&sort_by=Relevant+Day&filter_tag%5Bspeaker%5D%5B%5D=15769&date_of_debate=
  5. "Constituent Assembly Members / Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar". cadindia.clpr.org.in. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. "Constituent Assembly of India Debates (Proceedings) - Volume IX". cadindia.clpr.org.in. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  7. Alladi Memorial Lectures by M. Hidayatullah and S. Ranganathan, 2009 Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 978-81-89487-56-0

Further reading
  • Austin, G. 1966. The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
  1. Article in the Hindu by V.S. Ravi, grandson of Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer
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