Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on December 4, 2014 I AM deeply saddened at the passing away of Justice VR Krishna Iyer. Krishna Iyer was a visionary jurist, statesman and champion of human rights. Elected as an independent, he became the law minister in the first Communist ministry in Kerala in 1957. As a Supreme Court judge, he gave several landmark judgements which interpreted the rights of citizens under the constitution favouring the common man. Throughout his life, Krishna Iyer stood for the cause of justice, equality and socialism. With his moral stature and deep compassion for the downtrodden, he played the role of a people’s tribune till the end of his life. We have truly lost a towering figure whose service to society will always be remembered.