Hyderabad: Justice Easwara Prasad passes away

Hyderabad: Justice Jasthi Eswara Prasad passed away on Tuesday evening following a heart attack. He was 87 years. He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren. His last rights will be performed on Wednesday.

Justice Prasad is known to be one of the outstanding judges and a person of impeccable integrity and a noble character. He pronounced many landmark judgements, including one relating to secularism.

His wife Jasthi Chamanthi was a leading lawyer, who stopped practice after his elevation as a High Court Judge in 1990. She was president of the Andhra Vanitha Mandali, New Delhi, a well-known organisation working for the welfare of destitute women, children living in slums and the under privileged sections of society.

He has also founded the Smt. Jasthi Sitamahalakshmi Trust in memory of his late mother, which is carrying out several charitable activities for the welfare of society.

In January 1997, he was appointed Chairman of the Special Court under the Andhra Pradesh Land Grabbing Prohibition Act and remained in that position till he was called upon by the Chief Justice of India to accept the Chairmanship of a National Tribunal.

Within the very short period as Chairman of the Special Court, he had effectively streamlined the administration of the Court and created a healthy working atmosphere in the Court.

He disposed several cases and took up Suo Motu notice of the prevalent notorious land grabbing activities in Hyderabad and rest of the State of Andhra Pradesh and took stringent action, thereby putting a halt to the nefarious activities of the land grabbers.

Subsequently he was appointed as Chairman of the Appellate Tribunal for Forfeited Property, New Delhi in March 1997 for a period of three years and he was reappointed in March 2000 and retired in March 2003.

He had brought about the awareness of the law far and wide by conducting proceedings of the Tribunal in various parts of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also appreciated his contributions and has written to him on various occasions.