Profile
Overview Milestone For the People Human Rights

Overview

KS Radhakrishnan (KSR) is a Political Activist, Legal Expert, Human Rights and Environmental activist, Writer and Columnist.

KS Radhakrishnan (KSR) is a Political Activist, Legal Expert, Human Rights and Environmental activist, Writer and Columnist. He hails from an agricultural family and is a native of Kurunjakulam village, then Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu.

In his political sphere, he worked closely with giants like Kamarajar, Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, Karnataka Former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, EVK. Sampath, Poet Kannadasan, Pazha Nedumaran, Farmers’ Leader C Narayanswamy Naidu, Sri Lankan TULF Leader A. Amirthalingam and others. The LTTE leader Prabakaran, during his initial days, stayed with him for a while and continued to have massive respect for his unrelenting support to the cause of Eelam Tamils.

He was the youngest and the first one of his kind when he was nominated as a principal spokesperson of a political party thirty-four years back. As a Political Activist, he has seen the inner walls of the prisons quite often.


Milestone

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  1. He was the youngest and the first one of his kind when he was nominated as a principal spokesperson of a political party thirty years back. As a Political Activist, he has seen the inner walls of the prisons quite often.


    In his fifty-two years of political life, he has participated in many agitations and courted arrest numerous times.


    He never bothered about pseudo politics and has an impeccable public life. He is soft-spoken and upholds higher ethics in public life. He always fields himself in the domain of trustworthy and genuine political activities.

  2. He is an experienced Advocate and has over four decades of practice. He practised writ in the original and appellate sides of civil and criminal jurisdiction of the High Court of Judicature, Madras. He is a national Arbitrator. He served as an Arbitrator for Cochin Port Trust, Govt. of India. He was a former member of the Central Board of Film Certification (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India). He held the position of Committee Member at CBFC (Cinema Censor Board) for three consecutive terms spanning 12 years. He was a member of the Central Advisory Board on Child Labour and Worker’s Education Board (both under Ministry of Labour) and ZRUCC and SRUCC (under Ministry of Railways). He is a Life Member of Alliance Françoise De Madras.


    He was the Tamil Nadu State’s Counsel for HR&CE. He served as the Legal Advisor for Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and Tamil Nadu Industrial Corporation.

  3. He is a Life Member of Indian Law Institute – New Delhi, Member of the International Law Association (India Chapter) and Indian Council of Arbitration. He is the Joint Secretary of the Indian Lawyer’s Association (Tamil Nadu Chapter).


    He holds law degree and Master degree.


    He practised Law for the betterment of society. He is one of the pioneers in Tamil Nadu who has effectively used the Public Interest Litigations (PIL) and got reliefs to the public by arguing before the Supreme Court of India, Madras High Court, National Human Rights Commission, National Green Tribunal and State Human Rights Commission – Tamil Nadu.


    He successfully moved National Human Rights Commissions on numerous human rights violations.

  4. He has appeared as Counsel to many inquiry commissions appointed by the State government. Actively associated with international organisations like International, National and Regional Agencies of Human Rights and Democracy, he has undertaken various studies and research on the status of civil liberties, child labour, prostitution, and other social issues. He is a warrior against the death penalty and appeared as a counsel for the convicts.


    He has effectively pleaded with the Supreme Court to hear various issues of public concern. Namely, nationalisation and linking of rivers, voting rights for the prisoners, a three-tier system for local body administrations (Panchayat Raj), and got directions from the apex court.

  5. In support of Sri Lankan Tamil’s, he submitted a very detailed written submission to UN General Assembly in 2017, seeking independent international investigations. Furthermore, he has personally represented at the 35th Session of the UN Human Rights Council at Geneva.


    He is a life member of Common Cause, (Public Interest Litigation Forum) New Delhi.


    He relentlessly pursues issues involving agriculture and the environment before various courts seeking certain reliefs to the people involved. His extensive study about environmental issues in the Western Ghats made him knock on the doors of the Courts and National Green Tribunal on ecological concern in the preservation of Western and Eastern Ghats.

For the People

Practicing the Law for the People

He relentlessly pursues issues involving agriculture and the environment before various courts seeking certain reliefs to the people involved. His extensive study about environmental issues in the Western Ghats made him knock on the doors of the Courts and National Green Tribunal on ecological concern in the preservation of Western and Eastern Ghats.

His notable Petitions before the courts are:

1. Kannagi Temple Writ Petition. (Rights of Tamil Nadu against Kerala State) WP. N.O 8758 / 1988 Dated 12-3-1997

2. Velupillai Prabhakaran, Pondi Bazaar shooting issue, SC NO 8/1983, 7th Additional Court, Chennai. Disposed on 22/23-11-2012 

3. Gurusamy Naicker death sentence (Direct descent of Veerapandiya Kattabomman) WP NO 6262/1984 Order dated 27-9-1984

This is a petition praying the High Court to commute the death sentence into one of imprisonment for life. The case of my petitioner is as

follows: The petitioner was convicted for an offence of murder and sentenced to death by the learned Sessions Judge, Tirunelveli, in S.C.

No. 87 of 1976 on 8.2.1977. A Division Bench of this Court confirmed the sentence by judgment dated 15.6.1977. The leave to appeal was

dismissed by this Court on 28.10.1977, and the special leave petition filed before the Supreme Court was dismissed on 11.9.1978. The

mercy petition addressed by the petitioner on 20.10.1978 was first rejected by the Governor of Tamil Nadu and then by the President of

India on 22.8.1981. First time in the Legal History of India, just two lines, Telegram saved the life of Gurusamy.

4. Questioning Preventive Arrest / Police custody, WP NO 2791 / 1988

As a preventive arrest, G.K Moopanar, P. Chidambaram and other Congress leaders were arrested by then Madras city police. Order dated

21-03-1988

5. Vaiko’s visit to Sri Lanka without a Visa., WP NO 3269 / 1989

6. Vilathikulam Bose, DMK Youth Wing office-bearer custodial death – 1991, During Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, PIL filed in Madras High

Court.

7. TANCEM Alankulam, near Rajapalayam, cement plant environmental issue affecting agriculture. Filed at Madras High Court and

subsequently second writ petition filed at Madurai Bench. WPNO 10589 / 1986, Order dated 18-03- 1987; Madurai Bench WPNO 4696 /

2015, Order dated 22-11-2016

8. River Network (Linking of National rivers), Madras High Court WP MP MO 6207 / 1983, Dated 14-07- 1995.

WP(C) NO 15/1999, Supreme Court of India

WP(C) NO 668 / 2002, Dated 27.2.2012, Supreme Court of India

9. Prisoners voting rights during Elections, Supreme Court WP(C) NO1028 / 1990, Dated 17-08-1999

10. Panchayat Raj Issues, Supreme Court WP(C) NO 34/2005 – Dated 01-08-2005

11. Kudankulam, Atomic Power Unit Issues, WP/ High Court Madras, (Environmental Issue), WP NO 22771 / 2011 – Dated: 31.08.2012

12. Tamil Nadu Water storage Preservation, High Court Madras, WP NO 3039 / 2018

13. Western & Eastern Ghat Preservations, High Court of Madras, W P NO 5995 / 2020; NGTC No. 100 / 2021 (National Green Tribunal

Principal Bench, New Delhi), Admitted - 20-5-2021

14. Electoral Reforms WP (C) NO 549 / 2020 Supreme Court, Filed on Supreme Court 21-02-2021; WP NO 27364/2021 High Court, Madras admitted on 23-12-21

15. H. Dewa Gonda as Prime Minister Cauveri (Filed on 28-11-1990) WP admitted on 29-11-1996, Madras High Court

16. Sri Lanka Leaders Balasingam, Dr Satyendra, C.Chandrahasan against deportation issue. Madras High Court.

17. Nimira Vaikkum Nellai, Book library order, WP NO 23943 / 2007 Dated 16/07/07.

18. Khushwant Singh Book Ban, “The Company of Women”, Writ Petition. Madras High Court.

19. Tamil Nadu Legislative Council to revival, WP NO 4399 / 2000 14-3-2000

20. T. N Seshan Book (The Chief Election Commissioner of India), Andhra Pradesh High Court, Hyderabad. CS NO 2 / 1995, (CIA Agent as

Anna - Issue).

21. Kovilpatti farmers rally, Police firing and shooting of two deaths. For re-post mortem of Hrudhaya Joseph Reddiar body.

22. Kalignar Midnight Arrest, State Human Rights Commission, Chennai

23. Anna Nagar Ramesh case, M.K Stalin SHRC, Chennai

24. M.K Stalin Velacherry House midnight police raid, SC NO 234 / 2005. SHRC, Chennai CR NO 312/ 2003, Bail Petition crl MP 3960 / 2003, Madras High Court / NHRC, New Delhi Case No 69 / 22 / 2003 / 4

25. Mysore Jail - Thalavadi Tamil’s detained- Veerappan Issue case no 423 / 10/ 2005 – 2000, NHRC – New Delhi.

26. Vaiko’s Annamalai Mandram, Sri Lanka Issue Meeting SC NO 1/ 2010 - III Additional Court, Chennai.

27.Chennai Metro traffic Congestion issue and prevent vehicles heavy sound Horn pollution.

And the list continues.


He relentlessly pursues issues involving agriculture and the environment before various courts seeking certain reliefs to the people involved. His extensive study about environmental issues in the Western Ghats made him knock on the doors of the Courts and National Green Tribunal on ecological concern in the preservation of Western and Eastern Ghats.

Human Rights

Human Rights and Environmental Issues

He has travelled the length and breadth of his soil as a gipsy.

In his lifetime, he was offered prestigious positions at various organisations, including an organ of the UN. He stood on firm ground in his legal field too. Had he continued, he could have reached coveted positions, namely Judgeship in the High Court, and reached up to the Apex court. However, it did not find favour with him. He has consciously ignored those avenues. He lives true to Leader Perarignar Anna’s words: “Go to the People, Live among them, Learn from them, Serve them, Plan with them, Start with what they know, Build with what they have...”

Writing

As a writer and columnist, he writes regularly in national dailies. He is the Joint Editor of a magazine, Kathai Solli, founded by Late Ki. Rajanarayanan, a veteran senior Tamil writer. He recently compiled a book entitled “Karisal Kattin Kavithai Solai Bharathi”. It is a compendium by famous personalities on the life of Mahakavi Bharathi. He walks the unchartered path of collecting and publishing seminal works of long-forgotten Tamil Scholars and breathing life into the Tamil literary world.  



He authored and published numerous books in English and Tamil. Some of the titles are:

  • Urimaikku Kural Koduppom (On political, economic, and human rights issues)
  • Manitha Urimaigal Endral Enna? (A primer on human rights)
  • Nimira Vaikkum Nellai (A history of Tirunelveli district)
  • Tamil Nadu – 50
  • Karisal Kaatil Kavithai Cholai Bharathi
  • Kanavaaki Pona Katcha theevu
  • Eeelam Tamil’s Issue
  • Sethu Canal Project
  • 123 – India Odathey! Nil!! (Nuclear Agreement with the US)
  • Thookkukku Thookku – stop death sentence.
  • Mullai Periyaru Dam Issue
  • Human Rights Act – Some Notes
  • Tamil Nadu Legislative Council
  • DMK – Social Justice (DMK Party headquarters publications in both English and Tamil)
  • Impunity in Sri Lanka
  • History of Tamilnadu Agriculture Agitation movement headed by Late C. Narayanasamy Naidu
  • State Autonomy
  • Collection of KSR Columns in Newspapers and Weekly magazines
  • Tamilnadu Rights and Pending projects
  • Tamilnadu Water Issues and Disputes
  • Veerapandia Kattabomman’s legacy Panchalankuruchi Veera Charitam
  • Farmers Struggle led by the iconic leader C. Narayanasamy Naidu
  • Dakshina Indhiys Saridham by SP Narasimhalu Naidu (It was published in 1919 now republishing as new edition)
  • A lengthy compendium on Ki.Ra - a notable Tamil Scholar and Sahitya Academy winner.