The Hindu : Kerala News : Legal reference library to be set up in Thalassery

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Legal reference library to be set up in Thalassery

Special Correspondent

Stately purpose: The building on the District and Sessions Court premises at Thalassery where the library will be set up

THALASSERY: Establishment of a legal reference library befitting this town’s judicial legacy is an ambitious plan of the District Court Bar Association.

The library is being set up at the new building constructed to commemorate the celebration of the bi-centenary of the Thalassery courts. The building is located inside the premises of the District and Sessions Court here. The Bar Association already has a library which is still known as Reid’s library after J.W. Reid, a prominent Englishman who served as judge here in 1869. He donated his large collection of books to the erstwhile Tellicherry Bar Association.

District Court Bar Association president T. Asafali says that the association’s priority is to develop the library into a legal reference library comprising of books and research materials on international law, laws concerning non-resident Indians and cyber laws, among other things. Former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer, who began his legal career at the bar at Thalassery, has promised to donate 72 legal reference books to the library, Mr. Asafali has disclosed.

Apart from Mr. Krishna Iyer, there was an array of judicial figures and political leaders who started their career from here. They include former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir V. Khalid, former Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala K. Bhaskaran and sitting High Court judge A.K. Basheer. Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed was also a former member of the Bar Association.

The Bar Association is also planning to set up a permanent Right to Information Clinic at the library to help people utilise the Right to Information Act to get information from public institutions. Defence Minister A.K. Antony has promised Rs. 1 lakh from his MP’s Local Area Development Fund to buy books, says Mr. Asafali.

Thalassery’s legal legacy is traced to 1802 when the first Zilla Court was established by the British. This court was later upgraded as the Civil and Session Court and Principal Sadir Amin’s Court in 1845.

In 1873, the courts were turned into the District and Sessions Court. William Logan who became judge here in 1873 is known as a historian of Malabar. The others who served as judges in the court during the British period included Lewis Moore, E.N. Overberry, A. Venkatramana Pai, K. Imbichunni Nayar, A. Narayanan Nambiar, V.P. Panduranga Rao, T.V. Narayana Nayar, A. Govinda Menon and Zynuddin. Thalassery is the judicial headquarters of Kannur. Over 12 courts and tribunal function in the complex.

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