Dr. K. Veeramani
The legal wing of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) convened a meeting of eminent lawyers on 18th August, 2023 in Madurai. Several vital issues pertaining to the courts of law, appointment of judges and unsolved problems were discussed over speeches of the participants.
The Special address was by Dr. K. Veeramani, the president of the Dravidar Kazhagam. Gleanings from his speech are as follows:
“Dear friends, I thank you all for making this Legal Wing Meet a grand success. I thank Justice Hari Paranthaman for his informative speech sprinkled with a lot of statistics related to the appointment of judges in the Supreme Court and all the High Courts in the country. I agree with him that the appointments are disproportionate to the percentage of eligible lawyers and judges hailing from various sections in the society. It is true that we do not envy what the upper caste grabs. We demand only the share which is rightfully ours. We expect only an impartial and just treatment.
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“My hearty thanks to everyone who congratulated me on the Tamil Excellence Award” conferred on me by the government of Tamil Nadu. Periyar used to say that he accepted bouquets and brickbats with the same spirit. As an ardent disciple of Periyar, I shall continue to work restlessly for public welfare. Your faith in me and love towards me encourage me the most. Justice Hari Paranthaman said that I have always been a rebel and a fighter for noble causes. His words make me feel really proud. I have always been craving for a meaningful life. I ask myself, “Have I done enough for the society?” I carry on with my tasks seeking a satisfactory answer for my own question. I think I am being rewarded by such Awards of honour only in recognition of my vision and mission. Thank you all once again for the trust I have earned from you.”
“Dear friends, we use the word “Downtrodden” because it would make us ask “Who trod us down?” We use the word “backward” because it would make us ask “Who pushed us towards back?”
“By the tireless efforts of Dravidian movement, many downtrodden were able to rise in life as I.A.S., I.P.S. officers. When Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, those officers organised an event in Chennai to thank Periyar for his efforts. All those who spoke on the occasion repeatedly said that their advancement in life was because of Periyar.
When Periyar addressed the audience, he said, “You have all advanced in life by your hard work and skills. I just motivated you all. For me there is a bigger task to be fulfilled.The appointment of downtrodden people as the judges in courts. Madras High Court is 100 years old, but so far not even one from the Scheduled Castes could become judge in it. When would my dream come true? This question makes me restless and disturbed at all times. I hope my wish would be fulfilled during this rule headed by Kalaignar.”
People at the venue of the felicitation meet were surprised by the speech of Periyar. His care for public welfare made them spell bound”
“When we returned after the meeting, on our way Periyar said. “Veeramani, write about my speech in the editorial of tomorrow’s ‘Viduthalai’ issue. Let the Chief Minister read it and take step. “I did as advised by Periyar. His speech found its place in the editorial, the following day.”
“As Periyar had expected, my editorial had drawn the attention of the Chief Minister Karunanidhi. He had a talk with Madhavan, the Minister of Law. Further action was taken fast. In the list of District judges, Judge A. Varadarajan was in the eleventh spot. By the lightning-speed action of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, he was appointed as a judge in Madras High Court. He met Periyar and thanked him.
Periyar said to him – “You have got the position because of your qualification, merit and experience. I wish, you do your service. You should not stay here for any more time as it will lead to unnecessary controversies.”
“By the unflinching resolve of Periyar and Dravidian movement stalwarts, gradually there was improvement in the appointment of SC/ST/BC/MBC people as judges in High Courts and the Supreme Court. But we are yet to get our share fully. However, all hope is not lost. The present Dravidian Model rule in Tamil Nadu would make all our dreams come true. Hon’ble Chief Minister M.K.Stalin declared Periyar’s birthday on 17th September as ‘Social Justice Day’. He keeps stressing- “Everything to Everyone’ –the core ideal of our movement. By his efforts we have downtrodden people elevated as judges in Madras High Court. With the passage of time many more SC/ST/BC lawyers would certainly be appointed in the Supreme Court and the High Courts in India. Tamil Nadu would cast its influence on other States too and there would be improvement all over the country. Our struggle would certainly succeed.”
“My dear friends, numerous lawyers have derived benefits by the struggle of our movement. Some of them are here at this venue. I see them today for the first time. I have not known personally most of the lawyers who have advanced in life by our efforts. We do not expect gratitude from anyone. Ours is always a selfless public service. We are glad if our people are benefitted by our services. We need nothing in return.”
“Dravidian Movement was born for Social Justice. It has been striving for centuries to get it established absolutely without any lapse anywhere. Our intention is not to drive away Brahmins. We shall never snatch anything from anyone. We see no enemy in anybody. We would never seize the bread and butter of others. We never think of retaliating. Revenge is social injustice. We just say- “Have your share happily. Give us ours.”
