Despite his passionate defence of minority rights Nadesan remained aloof of Tamil nationalistic politics and was critical of the Vaddukoddai Resolution. The political violence of the 1970s/1980s forced Nadesan to move away from politics and towards human rights protection. He was a founding member of the Civil Rights Movement in 1971 and received the Peter Pillai Foundation award in 1983 for his promotion of social justice and the protection under privileged in society. In 1980 Nadesan was tried, and acquitted, for breach of parliamentary privileges. He died on 21 December 1986 aged 82.