Retd judges oppose initiating contempt action against lawyer
Stating that the prescribed process has not yet been triggered in the present case, the retired judges termed the court's move to summon Vanchinathan “premature” and urged the bench to defer any proceedings until the CJI makes a decision.
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CHENNAI: A group of retired High Court judges on Saturday appealed to Justices GR Swaminathan and K Rajasekar of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to refrain from initiating contempt proceedings against senior advocate S Vanchinathan, who had submitted a complaint to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) raising concerns about certain judgments delivered by Justice Swaminathan.
In a joint letter, retired Justices K Chandru, D Hariparanthaman, CT Selvam, Akbar Ali, P Kalaiyarasan, S Vimala, KK Sasidharan, and SS Sundar cited the Supreme Court's ruling in C Ravichandran Iyer vs Justice AM Bhattacharjee (1995), which mandates that any allegation against a sitting judge must be routed through the CJI. The CJI may, at his discretion, order an in-house inquiry to assess the veracity of the claims before any further action is considered.
Stating that the prescribed process has not yet been triggered in the present case, the retired judges termed the court's move to summon Vanchinathan “premature” and urged the bench to defer any proceedings until the CJI makes a decision. “Our appeal is solely in the interest of preserving the dignity of the judiciary,” the letter said.
Meanwhile, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam condemned what he described as the “unfair treatment” of Vanchinathan. He questioned how the advocate's confidential complaint surfaced on social media and raised concerns over the alleged verbal abuse in court, calling it a violation of natural justice. The Marxist party urged the Supreme Court to take cognisance and initiate appropriate action, asserting that the complaint was supported by substantial evidence.
