Former Advocate General R. Krishnamoorthy passes away in Chennai

A designated senior counsel, he had served as the A-G of Tamil Nadu between 1980 and 1989 and once again from 1994 to 1996

Former Advocate General R. Krishnamoorthy, 92, passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. A designated senior counsel, he had held the post of A-G between 1980 to 1989 and once again between 1994 and 1996. He had also served as the chairman of Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (BCTNP).

Born on December 8, 1930 in Thanjavur district, now Tiruvarur, he completed his graduation at St. Joseph’s College in Tiruchi before obtaining his law degree from Madras Law College in 1954. He served as an apprentice under K. Veeraswami who later became the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

After getting enrolled with the Bar Council in August 1955, he worked with K.S. Naidu who was the first elected chairman of BCTNP. Thereafter, the former A-G took a break from law between 1959 and 1967 when he went in search of adventure in business. He reverted to the legal practice in 1967.

On his return to the profession, he joined the office of G. Ramanujam, the then Government Pleader who went on to become a judge of the Madras High Court in 1969. Known to be a quiet and unobtrusive lawyer among the members of the Bar, he himself became a Government Pleader in 1978.

It was during his nearly nine-year long stint as Advocate General that he also served as the chairman of BCTNP between 1984 and 1988. He had appeared for the State Government in the Supreme Court and for the Income Tax Department as well as for private clients before various other High Courts in the country.

He was a member of a search committee constituted by the State government to recommend a panel of names to be appointed as members of the Lok Ayukta, and was also a member of a committee constituted by the Madras High Court to recommend names of lawyers who could be designated as senior counsel.

He had served in t boards of several public limited companies as director, and was also in the Board of Trustees for the PSG Group of Colleges in Coimbatore. He was the president of Narada Gana Sabha, a cultural organisation, for around 25 years and the president of Madhya Kailash Temple in Chennai.