Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court has framed two charges against well-known owner of educational institutions, film producer and actor Ishari K. Ganesh for having attempted to influence him through a common acquaintance on Saturday and thereby disrupt the South Indian Artistes Association (Nadigar Sangam) election, which was held on Sunday.
Passing a detailed order for initiating suo motu contempt of court proceedings against Mr. Ganesh as well as their common acquaintance Anantharaman, the judge pointed out that he was away in Vellore on Saturday when he received a phone call from the Registrar (Judicial) M. Jothiraman at 11.55 a.m. informing him about the Nadigar Sangam case.
The Registrar told the judge that Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani had granted permission to Nadigar Sangam counsel Krishna Ravindran to move an urgent case seeking a direction to the Greater Chennai police to provide protection for the association election to be held at St. Ebbas school in Mylapore here on Sunday.
The judge immediately cut short his visit and left for Chennai. He informed the Registrar that the hearing could be fixed at 5 p.m. at his residence. Since the case had already been given a lot of hype in the media, the news regarding the time fixed for the hearing had gone viral across the State.
While the judge’s car was nearing Anna University at about 4.20 p.m., he received a phone call on his mobile from Mr. Anantharaman, who was well known to him. Therefore, the judge started the conversation in a casual manner and was taken aback when the caller at the other end broached the subject of the Nadigar Sangam case.
Bolt from the blue
“He 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,” the judge said.
When the judge reached home, it was about 4.45 p.m. and he noticed that a lot of police personnel and mediapersons had gathered near his residence. As he was about to enter the elevator to reach his flat situated on the second floor, he saw Mr. Anantharaman, who again insisted that the case be adjourned by two or three weeks.
Mr. Anantharaman also told the judge that Mr. Ganesh had done a lot of help to an organisation run by him. Therefore, he was obliged to return the favour.
“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.
“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,” the judge observed.
Asserting that a criminal contempt had been committed by both the individuals on the face of the High Court, the judge directed the Registry to number the suo motu criminal contempt petition, issue statutory notices to the contemnors requiring their presence after four weeks and list the petition for hearing before a Division Bench holding the relevant portfolio.
