The Madras High Court on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) permitted an advocate to move a lunch motion for restraining the reported release of a Tamil book portraying Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the court as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sympathiser for his verdict in the Thirupparankundram Karthigai Deepam issue.
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan accepted a request made by advocate B. Jagannath for an urgent hearing of the matter as the lawyer stated the book was slated to be released in Chennai on Thursday (January 8).
ALSO WATCH Who is Justice G.R. Swaminathan? | Focus Tamil Nadu
The Bench also asked Advocate General (A-G) P.S. Raman and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) AR.L. Sundaresan to appear for the hearing in the afternoon since the matter was serious in nature and related to personal attacks on a judge for the verdicts delivered by him.
The A-G told the Bench it may not be appropriate for him to appear in the case since the issue bordered around criminal contempt too, and he was the statutory authority under the Contempt of Courts Act of 1971 to grant sanction for initiating contempt proceedings.
