Madras High Court Refuses To Order Seizure of Controversial Book Seeking Closure of Writ and Contempt Petitions

The High Court of Judicature at Madras has brought an end to a high-profile legal challenge involving a controversial publication. A division bench, presided over by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, closed both a writ petition and a related contempt proceeding after reviewing the official response submitted by the police.

The Conflict Over "Thirupparankundran Affair"

The dispute centered on a book titled “Thirupparankundran Affair: Is G.R.Swaminathan a Judge? or an RSS Rowdy?” published by Keezhaikaatru Publishers. The petitioner, P. Naveenprasad, had approached the court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, seeking a writ of mandamus to compel state authorities to seize the publication and prohibit its circulation.

The matter escalated when a contempt petition was registered against the publisher, citing earlier judicial observations made by the court on January 7, 2026. The petitioner argued that the book's content necessitated state intervention to prevent further distribution.

Statutory Review and Police Intervention

In response to the judicial inquiries, the Inspector of Police (J-1 Saidapet Police Station) filed an Action Taken Report (ATR) on behalf of the Commissioner of Police. The court's role in this petition was to assess whether the state had adequately addressed the allegations presented by the petitioner through the administrative and legal avenues available to the police.

Key Observations from the Bench

The court’s decision rested primarily on its satisfaction with the steps taken by law enforcement as detailed in their report. The bench noted:

> "After going through the Action Taken Report filed by the Inspector of Police, J1 Saidapet Police Station, on behalf of the third respondent, we are not inclined to proceed further in the matter and the proceedings are closed."

The Bench, having perused the materials, found no grounds to issue further directives under the writ jurisdiction, emphasizing that the judicial process had reached its logical conclusion based on the reports before them.

Final Decision and Implications

In a short, precise order, the Chief Justice and Justice G. Arul Murugan declared both the Writ Petition (WP No.608 of 2026) and the Contempt Petition (CONT P No.129 of 2026) to be closed.

The closure of these proceedings signifies that the judiciary will not, at this stage, intervene in the publication or distribution of the work in question, deferring to the actions documented by the local police authorities. This ruling highlights the court's reliance on departmental Action Taken Reports as a key filter in determining whether further judicial interference is required in matters of content regulation and public order complaints. There were no orders regarding costs, leaving the parties to bear their own legal expenses in this matter.