​A dedicated lawyer gets his due: Lifetime achievement award for K Kasturi

Shri K Kasturi, a second-generation lawyer, was born on 27.10.1944 at Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh completed his BSC from Vivekananda College, Madras and his B.L (Law) from Madras Law college in 1967. He also completed PG Diploma in Labour and Administrative laws in the same university. Kasturi enrolled as a lawyer in 1968 and joined M/S King and Partridge Solicitors and Advocates, Chennai. In 1975 he joined the Bangalore branch.

In 1986 he set up his own practice and established a firm Kasturi Associates. In 1999 he was designated as a Senior Counsel by the full court of the High Court of Karnataka. Over 47 years of Practice the Labour & Service matters he promoted hundreds of Settlements on Charter of Demands, on wages and individual cases. Many closures of units were averted by negotiating settlements with unions thereby avoiding non-employment of large workforces.

He also negotiated workload, incentive settlements in cloth mills and engineering industries. He settled several individual dismissal, Retrenchment case not only in Karnataka, but other states as well. He resolved long pending cases on wages in the Labour Courts. He has Appeared in Courts in Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Patna at Labour Court, Industrial Tribunals, Karnataka. He has appeared in the High Courts of Chennai, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and the Supreme Court of India as well.

He has several reported judgements to his credit including supreme court Judgements. He has successfully defended CEOs in several prosecutions in Labour Related matters under various enactments including the contract Labour Act, Provident Fund Act, ESI Act etc . He has been on the committee of Employers Federation of India since 1981, Employers Federation of South India for almost 5 years. He is the Ex-President International Commission of Justices (Karnataka) (The only Commission purely active in India) He declined to become a judge of the High court of Karnataka which was offered to him in 1995 and also in 1997.

When Justice V. Jagannath was sworn in as a judge of the High Court of Karnataka he proudly acknowledged Mr. Kasturi as his senior. Mr. Kasturi has trained several other juniors who are successful lawyers today. Kasturi is known to be a very fair counsel and has been instrumental in resolving several disputes between managements and unions and has earned the appreciation of many union leaders since he was more settlement oriented.

The full bench of the high court of Karnataka appointed him as Amicus curiae to assist the High court of Karnataka, in the matter of contempt by the press and media. His contribution to the field of labour laws is immeasurable. He was felicitated at the Karnataka (INDIA) Section of the International commission of Jurists and on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Bangalore Bench.

He was recently awarded “Lifetime achievement award in the field of Labour and Employment” by Aparajitha and the Economic Times on September 4 2014. K Kasturi is an ardent follower of the Mahatma Gandhi’s advice “Husband justice and ye shall Garner Peace .