T. V. Eachara Warrier
Encyclopedia
Professor T.V. Eachara Warrier, (1920 – 2006) was a Human rights
activist in the state of Kerala
, India
.
He became famous for his legal struggle against the Indian National Congress
-led government of Kerala during the Emergency, in an attempt to get to the facts about the disappearance of his son Rajan.
After the Emergency, the Rajan case
rocked Kerala politics. The then home minister of Kerala, K. Karunakaran was forced to step down following some adverse comments from the High Court of Kerala
on a habeas corpus
petition filed by T.V. Eachara Warrier seeking the state to produce his son in court.
Warrier's fight for the cause of his son also became one of the best remembered human rights fights in the state, and his book titled Oru Achchante Ormakal (Memories of a father) had also attracted wide attention and fetched the state award in 2004.
The Rajan case was fought out in courts and even lead to K.Karunakaran, the most powerful Kerala politician of the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s having to resign his Chief Ministership in 1978. But the legal system failed Eachara Warrier in that they let off all the accused by just imposing a fine on them, without imprisoning them and putting Prof. Warrier through the torture of fighting cases at all levels and questioning his character, motivations and his honesty. The media in some instances, like the Malayala Manorama newspaper and others wrecked Prof. Warrier’s efforts by publishing reports that tarnished Rajan and Prof. Warrier’s reputation.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist in the state 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....
, 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 became famous for his legal struggle against the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
-led government of Kerala during the Emergency, in an attempt to get to the facts about the disappearance of his son Rajan.
After the Emergency, the Rajan case
Rajan case
The Rajan case refers to the death of P. Rajan, a student of the erstwhile Regional Engineering College, Calicut, due to torture in police custody in Kerala, during the nationwide Emergency in India in 1976, and the legal battle that followed, which brought out the facts of the incident.-...
rocked Kerala politics. The then home minister of Kerala, K. Karunakaran was forced to step down following some adverse comments from the High Court 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....
on a habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
petition filed by T.V. Eachara Warrier seeking the state to produce his son in court.
Warrier's fight for the cause of his son also became one of the best remembered human rights fights in the state, and his book titled Oru Achchante Ormakal (Memories of a father) had also attracted wide attention and fetched the state award in 2004.
External links
- 'Memories of a Father' full ebook , translated copy (Original book in malayalam)
The Rajan case was fought out in courts and even lead to K.Karunakaran, the most powerful Kerala politician of the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s having to resign his Chief Ministership in 1978. But the legal system failed Eachara Warrier in that they let off all the accused by just imposing a fine on them, without imprisoning them and putting Prof. Warrier through the torture of fighting cases at all levels and questioning his character, motivations and his honesty. The media in some instances, like the Malayala Manorama newspaper and others wrecked Prof. Warrier’s efforts by publishing reports that tarnished Rajan and Prof. Warrier’s reputation.