V. S. Subramanya Iyer Biography 
V. S. Subramanya Iyer was an Indian administrator from Thiruvananthapuram who served as the Diwan of the princely state of Travancore from 1929 to 1932 in the pre-independent era. He served as Diwan under the princely rule of Chithira Thirunal (Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as regent till 1931), the last ruler of Travancore kingdom. V. S. Subramanya Iyer succeeded T. Raghavaiah as Diwan after his death in 1929. Iyer has also served as Commissioner of Travancore Devaswom.
V. S. Subramanya Iyer was born on 21 October 1877 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was born into an Iyer Brahmin family as the son of S. Vaidyanatha Iyer. After completing his studies at St. Joseph's College, he practised law in then Travancore Kingdom. As a prominent advocate of his times, he rose to the position of Chief Justice of the High Court of Travancore before he was appointed as Diwan of Travancore, one of the most influential positions in a kingdom in the role of an administrator. He served the position for about 3 years, and he was succeeded by Muhammad Habibullah, a politician from Chennai.
While serving in power as Diwan, he was appointed Commissioner of Travancore Devaswom in the year 1930. He retired from service in 1932 at the age of 55, and after that he was fully active in social life till the last phase of his life journey. Soon after retiring as Diwan of Travancore, he was appointed as the President of the Committee to gauge public opinion before introducing the historic Temple Entry Proclamation in 1932. Along with other members of the commission, he submitted a report strongly discouraging temple entry. But C. P. Ramaswami Iyer ignored this report granting temple entry of all groups of believers irrespective of all castes.
Published: September 08, 2018
Updated: September 08, 2018
