Delhi HC judge-turned-Manipur chief justice ran LPG agency during tenure
What's the story
Justice (retd) Siddharth Mridul, who served as a judge of the Delhi High Court and later became the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court, has been accused of running an LPG distribution agency during his tenure. According to TOI, the distributorship, named "Kitchen Flame," was allotted to him by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in 1984. The agreement for the distributorship was renewed multiple times; the latest renewal was on September 29, 2025, with validity until August 24, 2030.
Legal developments
Agency suspended
Justice (Retd.) Mridul started his law career in the Delhi High Court in 1986. He was appointed as a judge in March 2008 and later became Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court in October 2023.
However, the charges state that he continued to handle the LPG distributorship during his 16-year judicial term.
The matter came to light following an ownership dispute raised by the widow of Deepak Yadav, who managed the agency for Mridul, and a public complaint.
Case
Public complaint was lodged against Mridul in December 2025
Monika had approached the Delhi High Court two months back, seeking reconstitution of proprietorship in her favor.
The court directed BPCL to decide her application within two months.
But before that, a formal public complaint was lodged against Mridul in December 2025, alleging that the owner of the LPG agency was a sitting judge.
Following the complaint, BPCL issued repeated show-cause notices to Mridul, citing a violation of service regulations for conducting business while holding judicial office.
Contract violation
Violation of contract
BPCL issued a notice to Justice Mridul on May 29, alleging that he violated the contract by running the gas agency while serving as a judge.
The company claimed it was not informed about his full-time engagement in constitutional/judicial office during this period.
BPCL reminded him of earlier letters sent on January 30 and February 26, seeking clarification on this matter.
After receiving no response from Justice Mridul, BPCL suspended the "Kitchen Flame" dealership on July 6.
Allegations made
Yadav's allegations
Following the petition, Monika moved the high court again, accusing BPCL of deliberately not deciding her application for reconstitution of ownership of the agency.
In her petition, Yadav alleged she was being victimized for reasons attributable to both Justice Mridul and BPCL's inaction.
She said she had complied with all requirements and secured a favorable court order but was still facing difficulties due to the outgoing proprietor (Mridul)'s actions.