Death is an inevitable phenomenon for every person. But, when it happens one after another, causing loss of equal dimensions and moreover from a single professional arena, the above philosophy will not be enough to pacify the mourners or weepers. Kerala lost three legal pundits between March 20 and April 3, hardly a fortnight time. Interestingly three are from the same city, Kochi.
Former Advocate General K.P. Dandapani (79) breathed his last on March 20, 2023. He has served as the former Additional Judge, Kerala High Court. He started legal practice in 1968. Senior Counsel of Southern Railway and Member of Kerala High Court Legal Service Authority Committee, etc. are some of the major positions he had shouldered during his extra ordinary legal life. His wife Sumati Dandapani is a designated Senior Lawyer in Kerala High Court. After a stint as the Additional Judge he came back to active legal practice in 1996 and continued it until his last breath. Dandapani and Sumati were the first lawyer couple in Kerala Hight Court.
Next obit was of Adv. Govind K. Bharatan (84), on April 1, 2023. He was the Senior Lawyer designate in Kerala High Court and a dedicated Sangh Swayamsevak. He started practice in Kerala High Court in 1970. He had served as the Senior Central Government Standing Counsel in Kerala High Court. He is the former Kerala state president of Abhibhashaka Parishad, the Kerala chapter of Ahil Bharatiya Adhivaktha Parishad and state patron of the organization during the last few years of his life. He was an expert in Constitution, Civil, Service Matters and Sports Authority of India affairs. He was the standing counsel of Chinmaya Mission and former Ernakulam Lions Club Secretary and a sculptor. He had proved his mettles in temple rituals and legal affairs with respect to temples. He always stood for the interests of devotees and tried his long years for the liberation of the temples from the clutches of Dewaswoms controlled by political leaders who do not believe in Hindu faith and traditions. Bharatan joined Sangh when he got involved in the organization of Vishal Hindu Sammelan in Kochi in 1982. Spearheaded by the great Sangh pracharaks late P. Madhavji and late P. Parameshwarji, Sammelan was a great leap forward towards the Hindu unity in the state. All Hindu community organisations took active part in the programme which was graced by Swami Chinmayanandaji, the then Sarkaryavah of RSS Prof. Rajendra Singh aka Rajju Bhaiyya and Dr. Karan Singh.
The third one was Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan (63), former acting Chief Justice Kerala High Court and Chief Justice in the High Courts of Chhatthisgar, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh, who left for heavenly abode on April 3, 2023. An ardent Sangh Swayamsevak, Thottathil took active initiative in the matters concerning Dewaswom Board, mental health centres in the state and the welfare of the aged people. He was an active ABVP worker during his college days. He has served as the president of Kochi’s prestigious International Book Festival. His mother late K. Parukkutty Amma was a devoted worker of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and had donated her entire properties for the various Sangh-inspired organisations. The legal veteran was known for his soft-spoken and mild character.
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