Madras High Court Dismisses PIL To Restrain Retired Judges From Issuing Public Letters/ Statements

The Madras High Court has rejected a PIL seeking to stop retired judges from writing public letters or statements allegedly influencing ongoing cases.

The plea cited letters by former judges, including Justice K. Chandru, advising Justice G.R. Swaminathan against initiating contempt proceedings in a caste-bias case.

A bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan called it a “publicity interest litigation,” holding that such communications fall within the court’s administrative scope and cannot affect judicial independence.

The petition was dismissed with costs, with the court cautioning against frivolous use of the PIL jurisdiction.