Kochi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lauded the late bureaucrat Dr D Babu Paul, IAS, as a rare personality who left his mark of excellence in both administrative as well as cultural spheres.

"Dr Babu Paul’s stature was beyond the posts he had held," the CM said after inaugurating a remembrance meet organised by the Kerala Abhibhashaka Sahithya Vedi (KASaV) and Dr Babu Paul's lawyer friends on Sunday.

The KASaV award for overall excellence 2019 was awarded to Dr Babu Paul, posthumously. Babu Paul's daughter Mariam Joseph received the award from the Chief Minister. Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph presided over the meet. Thomas Jacob, former editorial director of Malayala Manorama, delivered the remembrance speech.

The Chief Minister noted that Dr Babu Paul, former additional chief secretary of Kerala, always functioned as per his conscience.

"When there were attempts to defame me with baseless allegations, Babu Paul never refrained from speaking out the truth,” the CM recollected.

Pointing out the literary contributions of the late IAS officer, CM Pinarayi said that the Malayalam language would always be indebted to Dr Babu Paul for writing 'Vedasabdha Rathnakaram, a reference book on the Bible.

Advocate general C P Sudhakara Prasad, Abraham Vakannal, Sunil Jacob Jose, O V Radhakrishnan, Bechu Kurian Thomas and Salahhudin Kechery spoke at the meet.