K. K. Mathew
Encyclopedia
K. K. Mathew was a Judge of the Supreme Court of India
highly regarded for his scholarship and for his seminal contribution to the Constitutional and Administrative law in India
. He later served the nation as its Tenth Law Commission Chairman and also as the Chairman of the Second Press Commission.
K. K. Mathew was born into a pious Roman Catholic Syrian Christian family; Kuttiyil, at Athirampuzha
, a town in the Kottayam
district of Kerala
. He did his primary schooling at St. Ephraim’s High School, Mannanam, and pre-university education at the Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram
.
As an earnest student, he had at a very early age spent long time applying himself in a broad variety of subjects ranging from literature and history through philosophy, which stood him in good stead during his later years. He secured the coveted Harvey Memorial Prize in essay competition and also the Victoria Jubilee Scholarship.
After passing out with a Law degree from Trivandrum Law College, Mr. Mathew was called to the bar in 1935 and began his practice of law under the late Shri. A. J. John, Anaparambil
. His initial years of apprenticeship and the growing practice in the bars of Kottayam and Trivandrum, both in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore
, was a preparation for a distinguished and lucrative practice that awaited him in the newly formed Kerala High Court
where he shifted over to in 1956 after the formation of the State of Kerala in the same year. From then on it was meteoric rise fueled by hard work and years of dedicated scholarship.
The year 1960 witnessed K. K. Mathew being appointed as the Advocate-General of Kerala and shortly thereon in 1962 as a Judge of the Kerala High Court
. On October 4, 1971 he was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India
, the position, which he held until his retirement on January 2, 1976.
K. K. Mathew has left a rich legacy of judgments bearing high precedential value. The notable ones are Bennett Coleman, Sukhdev Singh, Ambica Mills, St. Xavier, Prabhu Dayal, Khan Chand, Gobind, K. P. Joseph, Gwalior Rayon, Kodar, N. M. Thomas, Kesavananda Bharati, and finally the Indira Gandhi Election case.
The state utilized the long experience and scholarship of K. K. Mathew by appointing him first as the Law Commission Chairman, the post which he adorned from 1981-1985. Then came the appointments as the Chairman of the L. N. Mishra’s Murder Enquiry Commission, the Boundary Commission to inquire into the boundary dispute between Haryana and Punjab, and finally as the Chairman of the Press Commission of India.
The book Democracy, Equality, and Freedom which is a compilation of his lectures and addresses stands testimony to his wide and deep learning.
After a long and dedicated life in the service of the Indian judiciary K.K. Mathew died on May 2, 1992. As a brilliant jurist and as a dedicated judicial scholar, K. K. Mathew had left his indelible signature upon the annals of Indian judiciary.
Justice Mathew was married to Ammini Tharakan. The couple had three children: K. M. Kurian who is the manager of Air India in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Shantha Kakkappan a housewife, and Justice K. M. Joseph, a sitting Judge of the Kerala High Court
.
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
highly regarded for his scholarship and for his seminal contribution to the Constitutional and Administrative law in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He later served the nation as its Tenth Law Commission Chairman and also as the Chairman of the Second Press Commission.
K. K. Mathew was born into a pious Roman Catholic Syrian Christian family; Kuttiyil, at Athirampuzha
Athirampuzha
Athirampuzha is the name of a Panchayat and a small town in Kottayam district of Kerala state, South India. Athirampuzha is situated 10 km north of Kottayam town....
, a town in the Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
district of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. He did his primary schooling at St. Ephraim’s High School, Mannanam, and pre-university education at the Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
.
As an earnest student, he had at a very early age spent long time applying himself in a broad variety of subjects ranging from literature and history through philosophy, which stood him in good stead during his later years. He secured the coveted Harvey Memorial Prize in essay competition and also the Victoria Jubilee Scholarship.
After passing out with a Law degree from Trivandrum Law College, Mr. Mathew was called to the bar in 1935 and began his practice of law under the late Shri. A. J. John, Anaparambil
A. J. John, Anaparambil
Anaparambil Joseph John was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, and statesman. He was Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin and Governor of Madras....
. His initial years of apprenticeship and the growing practice in the bars of Kottayam and Trivandrum, both in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, was a preparation for a distinguished and lucrative practice that awaited him in the newly formed Kerala High Court
Kerala High Court
High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The High Court of Kerala is headquartered at Kochi...
where he shifted over to in 1956 after the formation of the State of Kerala in the same year. From then on it was meteoric rise fueled by hard work and years of dedicated scholarship.
The year 1960 witnessed K. K. Mathew being appointed as the Advocate-General of Kerala and shortly thereon in 1962 as a Judge of the Kerala High Court
Kerala High Court
High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The High Court of Kerala is headquartered at Kochi...
. On October 4, 1971 he was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
, the position, which he held until his retirement on January 2, 1976.
K. K. Mathew has left a rich legacy of judgments bearing high precedential value. The notable ones are Bennett Coleman, Sukhdev Singh, Ambica Mills, St. Xavier, Prabhu Dayal, Khan Chand, Gobind, K. P. Joseph, Gwalior Rayon, Kodar, N. M. Thomas, Kesavananda Bharati, and finally the Indira Gandhi Election case.
The state utilized the long experience and scholarship of K. K. Mathew by appointing him first as the Law Commission Chairman, the post which he adorned from 1981-1985. Then came the appointments as the Chairman of the L. N. Mishra’s Murder Enquiry Commission, the Boundary Commission to inquire into the boundary dispute between Haryana and Punjab, and finally as the Chairman of the Press Commission of India.
The book Democracy, Equality, and Freedom which is a compilation of his lectures and addresses stands testimony to his wide and deep learning.
After a long and dedicated life in the service of the Indian judiciary K.K. Mathew died on May 2, 1992. As a brilliant jurist and as a dedicated judicial scholar, K. K. Mathew had left his indelible signature upon the annals of Indian judiciary.
Justice Mathew was married to Ammini Tharakan. The couple had three children: K. M. Kurian who is the manager of Air India in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Shantha Kakkappan a housewife, and Justice K. M. Joseph, a sitting Judge of the Kerala High Court
Kerala High Court
High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The High Court of Kerala is headquartered at Kochi...
.