By Sinjini Mitra
The Madras High Court has recently cautioned a litigant that he will face one month of imprisonment if he fails to write an unconditional apology for making derogatory and scandalous allegations against the court and there judges, and also claimed that the institution has committed “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and M. Jothiraman passed the order on February 10, 2026 while hearing a suo motu criminal contempt case initiated at 2020 against T. Ashok Surana. This proceedings came to existence after the dismissal of his writ petition in 2019.
Holding Surana guilty of contempt of court, the bench granted him a final opportunity to file an affidavit offering an unconditional apology for the statements he made against the court, its judges, and their judicial orders. The court clarified that the apology must be expressed with genuine regret and include an undertaking that he will not repeat such allegations in the near future. The affidavit must be filed on or before the next hearing in March 2026, failing to do so will result in him serving one month in jail.
The case has a long history. In 2019, while dismissing Surana’s plea, a previous bench noted that he had adopted similar tactics with over 20 judges of the High Court, resulting in their withdrawal from hearing his matters. In October 2021, another bench framed contempt charges against him after examining his conduct.
In a July 2025 order, a different bench recorded that Surana had earlier made highly derogatory allegations against the court, reiterating claims of “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” The court observed that even during proceedings, he showed no regret and instead attempted to justify his actions, at one point demanding that the bench should apologise to him and withdraw the case.
The High Court held that such repeated scandalous allegations interfere with the due course of judicial proceedings. The matter is next listed for hearing in the month of March this year.