M. N. Krishnamani

In 2011 recognising his contribution in the field of law, the North Orissa University, Baripada, Orissa, conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) on him. In this document conferring the Doctorate on Mr. Krishnamani, it is mentioned inter alia as follows : Your brief stint in politics during your student days and trade unionism came to befitting end when you came under the influence of the noble saint Sri Navajata of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicheery, After that encounter, you devoted all your time and energy to spiritualism and social uplift though remaining a lawyer of repute. It goes without saying that you have successfully appeared in several cases in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts. A lawyer with a human face championing the cause of the common people by delivering justice at their doorstep, you have had an indisputable trace record as the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association in addition to holding several other important portfolios. Sir, you are a perfect combination of a wise head and a weeping heart that uses knowledge noit for pedantry or pecuniary benefits but for empathising with those brethren of ours who do have a cause but do not have the wherewithal to approach a court of law. This has made you the proud winner of National Law Day Award, Seva Ratna Award, Secular India Harmony Award besides several other recognition and decorations. This has also endeared you to spiritual, educational and cultural organisations in India.

His son, Anirudh Sainath was an artist with many paintings to his credit (https://molee.devianrt.com/). His three daughters are lawyers. They are married to software engineers working in leading multinational companies. His wife Radha was a Bharata Natyam dancer and a good bhajan singer. She was a great devotee of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. She died on 9 October 2007.

He received the "National Law Day Award" for Excellence in Civil Law in 1998. He was given the prestigious "Seva-Ratna Award" by the Centenarian Trust in 2005. He was given "Secular India Harmony Award" in 2005. He was awarded "Sreshta Kala Pracharak Award" by Ganesh Natyalaya and Gayatri Fine Arts Society in 2009. He was awarded Padma Shri in the field of Public Affairs by Government of India in the year 2016.

He was enrolled as a lawyer in 1971, in Madras. He worked as a junior of Late Sri. M.K. Nambiyar and Sri. K.K. Venugopal (Sri. Nambiyar's son who is a doyen of the Supreme Court Bar, today) between 1971–1977. In 1977 he set up his practice as an independent lawyer. He started his practice in the Madras High Court and had wide range of work in different fields of law and was prominent as a young lawyer from 1971–1981 in Madras (now Chennai). He specialised in Writ Jurisdiction and was known as : "Writ a day lawyer" since he was appearing in at least one Writ Petition a day. In 1981 he shifted his practice to Delhi to practice in the Supreme Court of India. He appeared in several important cases which were widely reported in law reports and in the Media as well.

He had a brief political career during 1969–1975. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1969. He became the General Secretary of Law College Student Congress in the Madras Law College. Later he became the Vice-President of Youth Congress in Madras. During this period, he was a Trade Union Leader as well. Rangarajan Kumaramangalam and Krishnamani organised the Hotel Employees for this first time and were running the Hotel Employees Union successfully. In 1975 he left politics and plunged into spirituality, education and social work, besides continuing in Legal Profession having active practice in different branches of Law.

Maharajapuram Natarajan Krishnamani had his education in Ramakrishna Mission boy's High School, Vaishnav College, Presidency College and Law College, Madras. Under his father's influence, he evinced interest in spirituality from childhood. Even while studying in 9th standard when he was less than 14 years, he used to give musical discourses in Madras at various places on may spiritual topics. All the boys who played musical instruments for him were his class-mates. He was appreciated by the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 3 March 1963 when The latter saw him giving a musical discourse on the life story of Swami Vivekananda during Swami Vivekananda's Centenary Celebrations. In all school functions, he used to do mimicry. He did his pre-university course from Vaishnava College, Madras. He did BSc in Geology from the Presidency College, Madras and then Law from Madras Law College, Madras.

M.N.Krishnamani (Maharajapuram Natarajan Krishnamani; 26 April 1948 - 15 February 2017) was a senior counsel practicing at the Supreme Court of India and a former president of Supreme Court Bar Association of India.