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A judge is not just an authority passing the verdict but is a person who embodies the law. Such were the ideals of K. K. Mathew who upheld justice all his life and even contributed to the Indian constitution.
Died on 2nd May 1992
While the matters of law and legality concern any average citizen, law remains outside the realm of comprehension. With their complicated jargon and puzzling implications, it is difficult for anyone with zero background in legal studies to make any sense out of it.
Only some who sit on the chairs of the court and assume the role of the law dispensers are mindful of this fact. K.K. Mathew was a man whose first virtue was compassion. He never let the mechanisms of law overpower his humanity.
Born on 3 January 1911, he went to serve at the apex legal body of the country, the Supreme Court of India. Apart from this, Mathew also declared bold verdicts and made important contributions to the Indian constitution. The role of any judge is to not just make decisions on the basis of evidence. It is to ensure the sanctity of law while simultaneously identifying the places where it needs to be improved.
He never shied away from pointing out the obsolete and the unjust in the justice system itself. In a world where everyone is adamant about proving themselves right, he accepted the fact that the moral and rightful always does not lie on the path of law and hence requires rectification.
Embodying such great values, K.K. Mathew became an inspiration for not only his juniors but also his peers.
The Article 12 of our constitution defines what all state entails; it sets in the role of the state as an actor in different capacities, right from the central to village level governance. We all know that the functioning of these governing bodies in many ways affect our present and the future. It was justice Mathews who contributed significantly to the amendments in this article, bringing power to the people.
No wonder, a collection of Mathew’s addresses and judicial opinions have been published in the path-breaking book, Democracy, Equality and Freedom. This work would be a unique addition to India’s legal literature.
This great defender of law and greater human being had a lot to teach, to lawyers and laymen alike. On 2 May 1992, he departed from this world. No matter how the judgment is passed in the next world, K.K. Mathews has found his place on the right side of history.
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