Judge deprecates litigant for writing letter

A judge of the Madras High Court Bench here on Friday recused from hearing a writ petition, since the litigant had written a letter to him seeking favourable orders, and directed the Registry to list the case before some other judge. Passing interim orders on a writ petition filed by a former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Constable challenging his removal from service due to unauthorised absence, Justice S. Vaidyanathan deprecated the petitioner for writing a letter to him directly. “Though there is no bar either on a party-in-person or a litigant appearing through a counsel to move the Registry in respect of their grievances, the approach of the litigant in writing a letter to the judge is deprecated and hence, I am not inclined to take up the matter for hearing,” he said. He ordered that the case could be listed before any other judge after obtaining necessary orders from Justice S. Manikumar, the administrative judge of the High Court Bench.