Country's Oldest Lawyer Kumar Ayyappan Pillai Passes Away In Kerala At 107

Country's oldest Lawyer and Freedom Fighter M. R. Ry. Kumar Aiyappan Pillai (Maha Raja Rajya Shri) passed away today at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala after undergoing treatment in a private hospital for age-related ailments.

Kumar Aiyappan Pillai was born in 1914 to A. Kumara Pillai, a Senior Secretary in the Travancore Princely State and to K. Bhagavati Amma. He obtained his law degree from Thiruvananthapuram Law college.

In 1934, Mahatma Gandhi ji met Aiyappan Pillai at Thiruvananthapuram and invited him to share the stage. Following Gandhi ji's advice, Kumar Aiyappan Pillai decided not to seek government employment and decided to work for the society.

In 1941, he was elected as Councilor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as a Congress candidate. He also served as a member in the Sri Mulam Popular Assembly (Sri Moolam Praja Sabha) of Travancore. He has participated in the Quit India Movement.

In the 1970s, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and had served as its state Vice-President. At the time of his death, he was heading BJP's disciplinary committee.

Kumar Aiyappan Pillai was a member of the Bharathiya Abhibashaka Parishad and a recipient of the Ananthakeerthi Award given to Lawyers in Kerala for their social contribution, in the year 2017.

Even at the age of 107, he had gone out to vote in the local body elections in Thiruvananthapuram. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called Kumar Aiyappan Pillai on telephone during the lockdown in 2020 to enquire about his health and wellbeing.

President of the Trivandrum Bar Association Advocate Anayara Shaji told Verdictum that Kumar Aiyappan Pillai was an asset to the Thiruvananthapuram Bar. "Till recently Aiyappan Pillai Sir used to appear before Courts in Thiruvananthapuram. He used to stand with the Bar on all issues. He was a lawyer with high social commitment. He had many qualities. He used to manage his own affairs till his death. He was in great health condition. We are shocked to hear about his death. He used to do yoga regularly. His life is an example for others. He lived a simple, austere life. He lived like a true Gandhian.", President Anayara Shaji said.

The mortal remains of Kumar Aiyappan Pillai will be cremated tomorrow at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram.