Vellore Lakshmanaswamy Ethiraj (18 July 1890 – 18 August 1960) was an Indian lawyer and philanthropist who founded Ethiraj College for Women, a college in Chennai, India.[1] He was the first Indian to be appointed as Crown Prosecutor by the British Raj. He also served as the President of the Madras Bar Association.[2]
V. L. Ethiraj | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 18 July 1890 |
| Died | 18 August 1960 (aged 70) |
| Alma mater | Presidency College, Chennai Trinity College Dublin |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Barrister and the Founder of the Ethiraj College for Women |
| Spouse | Kathreen |
Ethiraj was born on 18 July 1890 in a Thuluva Vellala[3][4] Mudaliar family of Vellore and was born to Lakshmanaswamy and Ammayi Ammal. V. L. Ethiraj received his undergraduate degree from Presidency College, Chennai and received his law degree from Trinity College Dublin.[citation needed]
One of Ethiraj's successes was the Lakshmikanthan murder case, which he successfully fought in defense of Tamil actors M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan.[citation needed] His advocacy was described by C. P. Ramaswami Iyer as "a marvel of the 20th century".[5]He mentored a number of young lawyers in Madras including his nephew M. Narayan Moorthy, who later become a Justice on Madras High Court.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Biography released". The Hindu. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- ^ "Madrasbarassn.in". Madras Bar Association.
- ^ Karuppiah (1988). Varalaru padaitha valakaringar Ethiraj. Chennai.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Chandralekha, Padmini R (2001). "History of Thuluva Vellala". Madras University Journal. Chapter 4.
- ^ "V.L. Ethiraj: Unrivalled in 'court craft'". The Indian Express: Express Weekend. 11 August 1990. p. 2. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Guy, Randor (1997), Memories of Madras : Its Movies, Musicians & Men of Letters, pp. 462.