Four months before the Thirupparankundram controversy, MPs from the INDIA bloc had written separate but identical letters to President Droupadi Murmu and then Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, raising concerns about the conduct of Madras High Court Judge Justice G.R. Swaminathan.
Dated August 11, the letters accused the judge of showing preferential treatment to advocates from the Brahmin community and those associated with Hindu right-wing ideologies.
This correspondence preceded the Opposition’s move in Parliament to initiate a motion seeking his removal from the Madurai Bench of the High Court.
The MPs alleged that Justice Swaminathan’s actions amounted to “proved misbehaviour and gross misconduct,” undermining judicial impartiality, transparency, and the secular character of the judiciary.
They claimed that, during his tenure as a single-bench judge, he routinely prioritised case listings and hearing slots for a select group of advocates, particularly those belonging to the Brahmin community or aligned with right-wing thought.
According to the letters, this pattern created a perception of caste-based preference and exclusivity within the judicial process.
The scrutiny intensified after the judge recently directed authorities of the Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Thirupparankundram, Madurai, to ensure that the Karthigai Deepam lamp was lit on a deepathoon (pillar) located near a dargah atop the hill.
The MPs argued that several of his rulings and observations reflected a “discernible ideological leaning towards right-wing political philosophy.”
While judges may hold personal beliefs, they wrote, such views must not influence judicial reasoning, especially in matters concerning fundamental rights and the protection of minorities.
The letters also cited a number of cases that, in their view, illustrated ideological partisanship.
One example was a petition seeking permission for ‘Annathanam’ (distribution of free meals to devotees) and ‘Angapradakshinam’ (rolling over plantain leaves used by devotees after eating) at a temple in Karur.
The judge’s order permitting these practices, they noted, contradicted an earlier Division Bench ruling that had banned them as inhuman. Such decisions, the MPs argued, erode public confidence in judicial neutrality and raise concerns about political or social bias influencing the courts.
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