3 months ago
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The Madras High Court has ordered an enquiry by its vigilance compartment regarding a missive written successful the sanction of an relation of lawyers to a sitting justice stating that a designated elder advocator had “collected” ₹50 lakh for being fixed to the justice to walk favourable orders successful 2 connected cases.
Justice M. Nirmal Kumar recused from proceeding those 2 cases, referred the substance to the vigilance compartment and directed the High Court Registry to instrumentality the contented to the announcement of the Chief Justice for listing the cases earlier immoderate different justice and besides for issuing indispensable instructions regarding the inquiry.
One of the 2 cases was a transgression archetypal petition filed by Naresh Prasad Agarwal successful 2014 to quash a complaint expanse filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) successful a ₹89.90 crore bullion trading fraud and the different was a petition filed by co-accused N. Ganesh Agarwal successful 2015 to discharge him from the case.
The High Court’s present retired justice T. Mathivanan had disposed of some the cases by mode of a communal bid connected April 17, 20217. He had quashed the complaint expanse against 1 of the accused and discharged the different accused from the transgression case. However, connected appeal, the Supreme Court remanded the matters for a caller hearing.
After the remand, Justice Kumar had been proceeding some the cases unneurotic since September 22, 2025 and had been adjourning them from clip to time. On January 12, 2026 a missive was addressed to the justice successful the sanction of an relation titled All India Lawyers Association for Justice based astatine Thambu Chetty Street successful Chennai.
The missive read: “Respected Lordship, a elder advocator has collected a sum of ₹50 lakh from the lawsuit stating that the said magnitude has to beryllium fixed to your Lordship successful respect of the cases... heard by Your Lordship. However, adjacent aft the receipt of the said amount, nary bid has been passed till day successful the said case. We truthful humbly petition your Lordship to kindly walk suitable bid successful favour of client. Otherwise, petition your Lordship to kindly initiate suitable enactment successful respect of the supra said said case.”
A transcript of the missive had besides been marked to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice and the CBI office successful New Delhi. The Ministry connected January 22, 2026 forwarded the missive to the Madras High Court Registry “for taking indispensable action.” The High Court Registry received the Ministry’s connection connected February 3, 2026 and placed it earlier Justice Kumar who made an enquiry with the elder advocator representing the 2 petitioners.
The elder counsel stoutly denied the allegation and expressed his willingness to cooperate with immoderate benignant of inquiry. The CBI Special Public Prosecutor K. Srinivasan, connected the different hand, said, that the signifier of penning letters should not beryllium entertained since they impact the dignity of the tribunal and said that steps indispensable beryllium taken to find retired the idiosyncratic who had sent specified a mendacious representation.
After proceeding some sides, the justice decided to recuse from the substance and bid a vigilance inquiry.
