17 years as lawyer and judge; Retired High Court Justice A Lakshmikutty passes away

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Lakshmikutty (82), Retired Justice of the Kerala High Court, passed away. She passed away at her house in Ambalathara, Thiruvananthapuram. The funeral will be held at 11 am on Tuesday in the house compound.

Born in 1944 as the third daughter of Kunjunni Ashan and Ammukutty, Lakshmikutty was a lawyer for 17 years. She was appointed as a district judge in Kollam in 1987. Lakshmikutty then worked in Pathanamthitta, Thodupuzha and Alappuzha. She became a judge of the Kerala High Court while serving as the district judge in Alappuzha. She retired in 2004.

Lakshmikutty has also served as a member of the State Human Rights Commission, Chairperson of the Fishermen's Debt Relief Commission, and Chairperson of the Red Cross Kerala Region. She has also held positions such as Chairperson of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Thiruvananthapuram Centre and Chairperson of Thonnakkal Sri Sathya Sai Gramam Global Trust. Lakshmikutty was unmarried.

The late Justice Lakshmikutty was a compassionate person beyond the technicalities of the law. She regularly visited hospitals and ensured basic facilities while she was a member of the Human Rights Commission.

She also ensured the human rights of prisoners through prison visits. The verdict to pay compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each to the two children of Sankaran Kutty and Biji, a native of Haripad, attracted much attention. Sankaran's death was in a bike accident, which happened when he was trying to avoid falling into a pit that was not covered by the water authority. She also passed several orders related to increasing the educational facilities of children belonging to the Scheduled Castes.
Lakshmikutty, who graduated from Government Women's College and graduated in law from Law College, started practising as an advocate at the Thiruvananthapuram Bar in 1967. She had been leading a retired life for a long time.