Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi, July 02: The high-profile case of a Madras HC judge complaining of pressure from a union minister to deliver favourable judgment, took a sensational turn on Thursday with the AIADMK claiming that the minister in question is DMK’s A Raja.
If proven then it would be a source of embarrassment for the DMK and Manomohan Singh government at the centre as Raja is a Cabinet Minister with the charge of IT & Telecommunications ministry.
Justice R Reghupathi of the Madrass HC judge had stunned everybody, Monday, by claiming in an open that a sitting Union Minister asked him to grant bail to two men - a medical student and his doctor father - who have been accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of forging marksheets.
AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha has now demanded that A Raja be expelled from the Union Council of Ministers and criminal proceedings be initiated against him.
The Congress has, however, maintained silence over the issue saying that until the judge names the minister or writes to the Chief Justice of India identifying him, the party can do little.
Justice Reghupathi, for now is not revealing the name, but had asked for an unconditional apology from the lawyer of the accused.
The judge has also referred the case to Chief Justice H L Gokhale, requesting him to post the matter before another bench for orders.
The Bar Council of India has demanded action against the minister under the Contempt of Courts Act.
However, Raja has categorically denied having tried to influence the judge but his close aides admitted that the minister knew the accused Dr Krishnamurthy and his son Kiruba Sridhar since they hail from his district.
“I have no idea what Jayalalitha is talking about,” Raja was quoted as saying by a private news channel.
The issue is likely to be raised in the Parliament during the Budget session that begins today.
Whistleblower in marksheet forgery case murdered
The case is now witnessing an interesting twist as a leading news daily, has claimed that a 31-year-old man, who first blew the lid off the mark sheet forgery racket, was found murdered on May 20, 2008.
According to the daily, Jayaraman, who was employed with the examination department of the Pondicherry University, was found strangled to death in his farm.
He was the first person to file a complaint with the university authorities that middlemen with the connivance of university officials were involved in the large scale tampering of marks sheets.
First Published: Thursday, July 02, 2009, 12:00