Karunakaran Babu

Karunakaran Babu (Malayalam:കരുണാകരൻ ബാബു) is an Indian judge who is presently serving as a judge of Kerala High Court. The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The High Court of Kerala is headquartered at Ernakulam, Kochi. He was serving as the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Thiruvananthapuram before being elevated as the judge of Kerala High Court.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Justice K. Babu
Judge of the Kerala High Court
Nominated by	Sharad Arvind Bobde
Appointed by	Ram Nath Kovind
Prime Minister	Narendra Modi
District Judge
In office 2009–2021`
Nominated by	S. R. Bannurmath
Appointed by	R. S. Gavai
Attorney
In office 1994–2009
Personal details
Pronunciation	Karunakaran Babu करुणाकरन बाबू കരുണാകരൻ ബാബു
Born	(1964-05-08) 8 May 1964 (age 60) Ayoor, Kollam
Nationality	Indian
Spouse	Mrs. Sandhya Babu
Children	Mr. Varun Babu(son) Mrs. Vrinda Babu(daughter)
Parents	Mr. Karunakaran (father) Mrs. Bhavani (mother)
Residence	Kochi
Education	Master of Laws, Master of Economics
Alma mater	Government High School, Thevannoor. Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
Website	High Court of Kerala

Family and education

Babu had attended Government High School, Thevannoor, mastered in Economics from University of Kerala, obtained law degree from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram and LLM Degree from the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.

Babu comes from a close-knit family with deep-rooted values in education and law. His son,^{[8][9][10] [11]}Mr. Varun Babu, born on August 25, 2004, is Alumni of Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram is currently pursuing his legal studies at Christ University in Delhi NCR. His daughter,^{[12] [13][14]} Mrs. Vrinda Babu, has already established herself in the legal field, having completed her Master of Laws from Cochin University of Science and Technology and practicing as a Lawyer. His wife, ^[15]Mrs. Sandhya Babu, formerly a dedicated School Teacher, has played a significant role in shaping their family's academic and ethical foundations. Justice Babu’s parents, Mr. Karunakaran and Mrs. Bhavani, were engaged in Agriculture, instilling in him a strong sense of discipline and hard work that continues to reflect in his professional and personal.

Career

Babu enrolled as an advocate on March 20, 1994, and began his legal practice in Kottarakkara and Kollam, specializing primarily in Civil law (legal system) while handling various other branches of law. In 2009, he secured the 1st rank in the Kerala Judicial Service examination and joined as a District & Sessions Judge. Over the years, he served in multiple key judicial roles, including:

• Additional District Judge at Thalassery, Pathanamthitta, and Kottayam
• Special Judge (SPE/CBI) at Kochi
• ^[16]Special Commissioner ,Sabarimala Temple(Additional Charge)
• Registrar (Subordinate Judiciary) in the Kerala High Court
• Registrar (Officer on Special Duty) in the Supreme Court of India
• ^[17]Principal District Judge, Thiruvananthapuram
• ^[18]Chairman of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee for the Padmanabhaswamy Temple(Additional Charge)

While serving as Principal District Judge, Thiruvananthapuram, he was elevated as an Additional Judge of the High Court on February 25, 2021, and later became a permanent judge on June 6, 2022.