CHENNAI, JULY 28, 2025 — In a dramatic courtroom exchange on Monday, Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court strongly rebuked Advocate Vanchinathan for allegedly launching a sustained and baseless public campaign accusing the judge of caste and communal bias.

The confrontation occurred before a Bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice K Rajasekar, following Vanchinathan’s refusal to answer the Court’s queries orally.

“You are a comedy piece,” Justice Swaminathan remarked, adding,

“I don’t know who called you all revolutionary. You are all comedy pieces.”

BACKGROUND: SOCIAL MEDIA ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE JUDGE

The Court had summoned Vanchinathan in connection with multiple social media posts and video interviews, where he allegedly claimed that Justice Swaminathan had acted with communal and caste prejudice in past judgments.

“Mr. Vanchinathan, I 100 per cent respect your right to brutally criticise my judgments. But when you are alleging caste bias, things take a different turn,” Justice Swaminathan said during the proceedings.

In one of the controversial interviews, Vanchinathan allegedly asserted that a senior Dalit lawyer was targeted by the Court, while a Brahmin lawyer was not, prompting concern from the Bench.

JUSTICE SWAMINATHAN DEFENDS JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE

Addressing these claims, the judge underlined that criticism of judgments is fair, but accusations of caste prejudice without evidence were unacceptable.

“For four years, you have been slandering me. I have not taken any action against you. We are also conscious of the rules of procedure. We are not fools. We will place the case before the Chief Justice or an appropriate bench. The whole ecosystem has ganged up—we are aware. We will not be intimidated or cowed down. Judicial independence is supreme.”

COURT CLARIFIES: PROCEEDINGS UNRELATED TO COMPLAINT TO CJI

The Court’s written order noted that Vanchinathan appeared on July 25 and July 28. It addressed the advocate’s belief that the proceedings were linked to a complaint he had sent to the Chief Justice of India and Supreme Court judges, a claim the Court rejected outright.

“We fail to understand on what basis such allegations have been made against this Court…We clarify once again that the proceedings against him have nothing to do with that complaint.”

The Bench emphasized that it was following the principles of natural justice by offering Vanchinathan a chance to clarify his public remarks.

“You have assumed two things that have no basis. First, this has nothing to do with the complaint you sent to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India. Second, we have not initiated any contempt action till Friday. We only want to clarify your stance—whether you continue to allege caste and communal bias,” the order stated.

RETIRED JUDGES INTERVENE

In a significant development, eight retired Madras High Court judges — including Justice K Chandru, Justice D Hariparanthaman, and Justice S Vimala — wrote to the Chief Justice of India, urging intervention. They argued that complaints against sitting judges should be processed through the Chief Justice, not handled by the judge in question.

Referring to this, the Court remarked:

“While this matter is pending, it is most unfortunate that some retired judges are rendering opinions.”

Justice Swaminathan also expressed personal disappointment at Justice SS Sundar’s participation in the letter to the CJI.

CASE TRANSFERRED TO CHIEF JUSTICE

Concluding the hearing, the Bench directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court for appropriate orders.

Justice Swaminathan concluded with a sharp final remark:

“I regretted calling you a coward. Now I do not regret at all.”