In his 1976 'Code of Conduct for persons in power, authority or positions of trust in our country', he explicitly included ministers and members of Parliament and state legislatures.
[2] The Santhanam committee is credited with the creation of the CENTRAL VIGILANCE COMMISSION in 1964 which was conferred statutory status in 2003.
Santhanam was also instrumental in shaping the politics in post-Independence Tamil Nadu, through his close association with Rajaji and Kamaraj.
Santhanam also translated Kālidāsa's Shakuntala and Bhavabuti's Uttara Rama Charitam, both from Sanskrit.
Santhanam died in 1980 and was survived by three sons and a daughter, namely S.Kasthuri, the eldest and a distinguished marine engineer who retired as the first Director of Cochin Shipyard Ltd., Mrs. Lakshmi Srinivasan, a devout housewife, whose husband was a distinguished executive engineer in Tamil Nadu government, K.S.