'Scandalous': Madras HC Stays Release Of Book Targeting Judge Who Gave Madurai Deepam Verdict

Last Updated:January 07, 2026, 17:33 IST

Initiating suo motu contempt, the high court said the book allegedly contained "scandalous, abusive and derogatory" attacks against a sitting judge, Justice GR Swaminathan

The book targets Justice GR Swaminathan, who delivered the controversial Madurai 'deepam' verdict. (Image: PTI/File)

The Madras High Court has stayed the release and distribution of a book targeting Justice GR Swaminathan, who delivered the controversial Madurai deepam verdict.

Initiating suo motu contempt, the high court said the book allegedly contained “scandalous, abusive and derogatory" attacks against a sitting judge.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Arul Murugan, observed that the book, titled Thirupparankundran Affair: Is GRS a Judge or… raises “serious concerns relating to the dignity and institutional authority of the judiciary".

According to reports, the book has been published by Keezhaikaatru Publishers and follows the recent controversy over Justice Swaminathan’s verdict in the Madurai lamp lighting row, in which he directed the lighting of a lamp on a stone pillar atop the Thirupparakundran hill near a dargah – an order that was subsequently upheld by a division bench in Madurai.

In the case of the book, the petitioner moved the court seeking an urgent stay, alleging that the book’s cover page portrays the judge in a “mocking and distasteful manner" with the clear intent to insult both the individual and the institution. During the proceedings, the court expressed concerns over the book’s visual and textual content.

“The pictorial representation, the caricature and the expressions/words used are not only highly derogatory, but virtually abusive," the bench observed after perusing the material, as reported by Bar and Bench. “It’s very serious… How will people see the judiciary if this is the language used (against judges)?"

The HC noted that while the criticism of judgments is permissible, personal attacks intended to ridicule a sitting judge cross “permissible limits" and undermine public confidence. In a stern directive, it ordered the police to “seize the copies of the publication" and ensure that such material is not made available online or in print.

The court barred the sale of the book at the upcoming Chennai Book Fair, scheduled to commence on January 8, noting that the publisher had already been allotted stalls at the venue. It held that allowing the book to be released at such a large public forum would cause “irreparable harm" and “serious and irreversible damage" to the credibility of the courts.

The high court further initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against the publisher. It listed the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

News india 'Scandalous': Madras HC Stays Release Of Book Targeting Judge Who Gave Madurai Deepam Verdict

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