Former Calcutta HC Chief Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan Passes Away

Former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Thottathil Bhaskaran Nair Radhakrishnan died today at a private hospital in Kochi, Kerala. He was 63.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled Justice Radhakrishnan's death saying his untimely demise was a great loss to the judiciary and the society as a whole.

He was an accomplished judge and a person who was willing to respond actively to social problems, the Chief Minister said. The coming generation of young lawyers have lost a mentor, Vijayan added.

Radhakrishnan was sworn-in as permanent Judge of the Kerala High Court on 14th October 2004. He was the son of late N. Bhaskaran Nair and late K. Parukutty Amma, both Advocates, who practised at Kollam. He had his early schooling in St. Joseph's Convent and Government Boys' High School, Kollam; Arya Central School, Thiruvananthapuram, and secured ISC conferred by the University of Cambridge (Local Examination Syndicate), having studied in Trinity Lyceum, Kollam. After obtaining B.Sc. Degree in Zoology from the University of Kerala as a student of the Fatima Matha National College, Kollam, he secured LL.B. Degree from Bangalore University having studied Law at K.G.F. Law College, Kolar Gold Fields.

In 1983, he practised at Thiruvananthapuram. While an Advocate, he was invited as Resource Person by the Training Directorate which later became the Kerala Judicial Academy. 

He was the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala from May 13, 2016, to August 1, 2016, and from the afternoon of February 16, 2017, till he was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court on March 18, 2017. He was the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court from March 18, 2017, to July 6, 2018. He was sworn in as Chief Justice of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on July 7, 2018. He was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court for the State of Telangana on January 1, 2019, and finally sworn in as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on April 4, 2019.

He was the Chancellor of the National Academy for Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), University of Law, Hyderabad and the Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam.

Radhakrishnan was suffering from liver cancer which was detected very late.

Justice Radhakrishnan is survived by his wife, a retired government servant, and a daughter and son both of whom are lawyers. He will be cremated in the evening with full state honours.