Nadigar Sangam elections: Madras HC initiates contempt for attempting to influence judge

Justice N Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court has initiated contempt proceedings against two persons including educationist and business magnate Ishari K Ganesh, for having attempted to influence the judge in a matter concerning the Nadigar Sangam elections..Following an urgent mentioning, the Madras High Court had allowed a special sitting to be held last Saturday to hear a plea concerning the conduct of elections to the South Indian Artistes’ Association (Nadigar Sangam) on Sunday..Justice Anand Venkatesh was in Vellore when he was informed that permission had been granted to hear the matter on Saturday, although it was initially adjourned to be taken up next in July..After he received a call from the Registrar (Judicial) informing him of the special sitting, he headed back to Chennai. En route, the judge received a phone call from an acquaintance, one Anantharaman, who broached the subject of the Nadigar Sangam elections..Anantharaman is said to have asked the Judge to delay the elections as requested by Ishari Ganesh. The judge noted in the order,.“…[Anantharaman] told me that Mr. Ishari K. Ganesh is interested in this case and he wants the case to be adjourned by a couple of weeks in order to ensure that the elections are not conducted on June 23, 2019 and in the meantime, something can be done to postpone the elections. This came as a bolt from the blue to me and without reacting, I disconnected the phone call.”.Further, even as Justice Venkatesh made his way back to his residence, Anantharaman approached the judge in person to reiterate his request..“I immediately asked him to leave and proceeded to my house. I was later informed by my wife and son that the phone call was made to me by Mr. Anantharaman sitting inside my house.”.He has further expressed his shock over the incident, observing,.“This in my view is a shocking state of affairs where a party interested in a litigation and who is also said to be a contestant in the election (for the post of general secretary against actor Vishal Krishna) had the audacity to approach a judge of this court and seek for a favour.”.Consequently, the judge has now directed that a suo motu contempt case be registered against Ananatharaman and Ishari Ganesh, which will be taken up by the Bench hearing contempt matters within four weeks. The order states,.“The act on the face of it amounts to interfering with the due course of the judicial proceedings and tends to obstruct the administration of justice and thereby is a criminal contempt of the Court.”.Ishari Ganesh is a the founder of the Vels Educational Trust. He also serves as Chairman and Vice Chancellor of the Vels University, Chennai..Bar & Bench is available on WhatsApp. For real-time updates on stories, Click here to subscribe to our WhatsApp.