After obtaining his B.Sc., he got B.L. from the Government Law College, Coimbatore. Dr. Balakrishnan did his LL.M. at the Cochin University of Science and Technology with Criminal Law, Commercial Law and Jurisprudence as his specialities. He topped the LL.M. examination of Cochin University and was also the recipient of Dr. A.T. Markose Memorial Gold Medal and Professor R.V. Kelkar Memorial Prize along with other medals and prizes. He taught law at the School of Legal Studies of Cochin University and at the Rajagiri International School for Education and Research at Ernakulam. He has practised at the High Court of Kerala. With publications in various law journals and papers in various seminars, Dr. Balakrishnan had his doctoral studies at Cochin University on “The Impact of International Norms on Criminal Justice Administration”.