Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, while speaking at an event organised by the Capital Foundation Society at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi to mark the 110th birth anniversary of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, reflected on the latter’s profound impact on India’s constitutional landscape. He described Justice Iyer as a rare figure—activist, minister, lawyer, judge, thinker and prolific writer—whose humanist worldview was inseparably connected to constitutional principles.

Justice Bhuyan highlighted that Justice Iyer’s judicial philosophy broadened the scope of Article 21, strengthened the foundations of social justice and human rights, and reshaped bail jurisprudence and prison reforms. He noted Iyer’s seminal role in the evolution of legal aid in India through committees that ultimately contributed to Article 39A and the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. He recalled Justice Iyer’s enduring opposition to the death penalty and his landmark contributions in cases such as Maneka Gandhi, Moti Ram, and Sunil Batra.

Turning to contemporary issues, Justice Bhuyan underscored the need for judicial independence, internal accountability, and healthy public critique. Expressing worry over the rise of targeted attacks on courts, he described such conduct as attacks on the institution itself. Referring to Wikimedia Foundation v. ANI Media and Justice Iyer’s guidance in S. Mulgaokar, he emphasized that open debate must be encouraged, but malicious and motivated attacks must be firmly countered to preserve democratic integrity.

Justice Bhuyan also shared that Justice Krishna Iyer, in his later years, came to accept the idea of rebirth. Concluding on a reflective note, he remarked that if rebirth indeed exists, Justice Iyer should return as a judge—because the nation needs fearless, visionary judges like him now more than ever.