Neela Padmanabhan (born 26 April 1938), is a Tamil writer from Nagercoil, India.

Neela Padmanabhan was born in Kanyakumari District.

He obtained a B. Sc in Physics and a degree in Electrical Engineering from Kerala University.

He worked in the Kerala State Electricity Board till his retirement in 1993.

In 2010, his novel Thalaimuraigal was made into a Tamil film titled Magizhchi (lit.