Vettath Balakrishna Eradi (19 June 1922 – 30 December 2010) was a judge of the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...

. He also served as the Chief Justice of the

Kerala High Court The High Court of Kerala is the List of high courts in India, highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the Hig ...

, as President of the

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) is a quasi-judicial A quasi-judicial body is a non-judicial body which can interpret law. It is an entity such as an arbitration panel or tribunal board, which can be a public a ...

(NCDRC) and the Chairman of Ravi & Beas Waters Disputes Tribunal. Eradi was also noted for his role in several spiritual, cultural, and social organizations.

Career

Eradi enrolled as an advocate in

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

. He began his profession as a junior lawyer to K. Kuttikrishna Menon, before starting an independent practice in the Madras High Court. He was later appointed by the Madras Government as Junior Counsel to conduct several Government cases. Eradi shifted his practice to

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

in 1956 when the new

High Court of Kerala The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...

was established. In 1961, he was appointed Senior Government Pleader in the Kerala High Court where he conducted several important Government cases. He was also doing private practice during this time. In April 1967, Balakrishna was appointed Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court and six months later elevated as Permanent Judge. During his tenure at Kerala High Court, he was appointed chairman of several committees, including the High Court Committee appointed by the Government of Kerala for suggesting ways and means of raising the standard of legal education in the State. Eradi was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala in January 1980 and as a judge of the

a year later. As a Supreme Court judge, he was appointed by Government of India as Chairman of the

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (rapper) (born 1993), a Sou ...

and Beas Waters Tribunal for adjudication of the dispute regarding sharing of the Punjab river waters among the States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Justice Eradi retired from the Bench of the Supreme Court on attaining the age of superannuation in 1987. ;After retirement In 1988, he was appointed President of the

, a post he held until he retired in 1997. In 1999 he was appointed Chairman of the National Company Law Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal, a High Level Committee to examine the existing laws relating to winding up proceedings of companies in order to remodel it in line with the latest developments. Eradi was actively connected with cultural and social service organizations and was President of International Centre for

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

, Delhi since 1982 and was also the President of ''Swaralaya'', a Carnatic music society of India. He was a Member of the Council of Management of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust from its inception in 1972. After the retirement he stayed in New Delhi with his wife, Saraswathy Eradi and later shifted to

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

and was residing at Chalappuram. Balakrishnan Eradi died on 30 December 2010 at a private hospital in Kozhikode.

Awards and honors

Eradi received several awards during his long career, including the National Press of India Golden Jubilee Award, Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, the National Citizenship Award, and the Shiromani Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eradi, V. Balakrishna 1922 births 2010 deaths Judges of the Kerala High Court People from Kozhikode Malayali people Justices of the Supreme Court of India University of Madras alumni Chief justices of the Kerala High Court 20th-century Indian judges