Founder

Born in Kowdoor village on June 11, 1909, Kowdoor Sadananda Hegde had his early education at Karkala and Mangaluru. He obtained a degree in Economics from Presidency College in Madras and Law degree from the Government Law College, Madras.

He began his legal practice at Karkala in 1936, and later, moved to Mangaluru, where he was appointed as the Public Prosecutor of South Canara district in 1948. He was an elected Member of the First Council of States (now known as the Rajya Sabha).

In 1954, he represented India at the General Assembly of the United Nations. He then became a judge of the Mysore High Court. In 1966, he was appointed the first Chief Justice of the Delhi and Himachal Pradesh High Court. He held this office till he was elevated to the post of a judge in the Supreme Court of India in 1967.

A man of integrity and strong values, Justice K. S. Hegde resigned from his post in the Supreme Court in 1973, in protest against the suppression of senior judges in the appointment of the Chief Justice of India. In 1977, he won the election to the Lok Sabha and was elected as the Speaker, an office he held till 1980.

After a distinguished career, he retired from public life and settled in Nitte, where he relentlessly worked for the upliftment and empowerment of the rural people. Justice K. S. Hegde passed away on May 25, 1990.