The Madras High Court has launched an inquiry after a letter accused a senior advocate of collecting ₹50 lakh to bribe a sitting judge. Justice M. Nirmal Kumar stepped away from hearing two related cases and asked the court's vigilance cell to investigate. The judge also asked that the Chief Justice assign the cases to another judge and issue instructions for the inquiry. The letter, sent on January 12, 2026, came from the All India Lawyers Association for Justice in Chennai. It claimed, “a senior advocate has collected a sum of ₹50 lakh from the client stating that the said amount has to be given to your Lordship in respect of the cases... heard by Your Lordship.” The letter demanded both a favorable order or action against the matter. One case involved Naresh Prasad Agarwal, who sought to quash a 2014 CBI charge sheet in an ₹89.90 crore bullion fraud. The other was a 2015 discharge petition filed by his co-accused, N. Ganesh Agarwal. Earlier, retired judge T. Mathivanan had disposed both with an order in 20217, quashing charges against one and discharging the other. The Supreme Court later remanded the cases for fresh hearings. Justice Kumar had been handling the matter since September 22, 2025. The Ministry of Law and Justice sent the letter to the High Court on January 22, 2026, which passed it on to Justice Kumar on February 3. The senior advocate denied the allegations and agreed to cooperate with the inquiry. The CBI Special Public Prosecutor, K. Srinivasan, condemned the letter. He said such letters harm court dignity and called for identifying the sender of the false claim. Following the responses, Justice Kumar recused himself and ordered a vigilance inquiry to uncover the truth behind the serious bribery allegation.