Justice Regupathi charges in open court of ‘pressure’ from Union Minister

By Gopal Ethiraj, Chennai
CHENNAI, 30 June (asiantribune.com): Mr. Justice R. Regupathi of the Madras High Court, who is known for his classic judgments, declared in the open court on June 29 that a Union Minister from Tamil Nadu, had “contacted him and tried to influence” him to grant anticipatory bail to a father and son duo. The Judge, however, did not name of the minister.
This is the first time in decades a justice is coming out open in the court about a direct interference with the administration of justice.
The justice referred the case to the Chief Justice H.L.Gokhale requesting him to post the case before another bench for appropriate orders. Justice Regupathi also threatened to write to the government and the Prime Minister about the matter, if the advocate representing the case failed to submit his written unconditional apology by Tuesday.
When the case came up before the Justice on Monday, he said he was not inclined to grant any relief and pointed out to their counsel that their plea had already been rejected by him on June 15. To this, when the advocate complained that the judge was passing orders on the basis of the submission of the prosecutors alone, an enraged Justice Regupathi let out his ire.
The case pertains to a CBI case of forging mark-sheet by a medical college student and his doctor-father. S. Kiruba Sridhar, a third year student of Arupadaiveedugal Medical College in Puducherry, who failed in Ophthalmological paper in the first two attempts, altered the marks in the paper from 9 to 16, in his third and last attempt with the help of a university staff and a middleman.
It was also claimed the father Dr. C. Krishnamoorthy had paid the culprits huge sums for the commission of the fraudulent act. While the university staff and the middleman were arrested in May for inflating the mark, the father and son are yet to be apprehended; and hence the case for anticipatory bail came up before the Justice Regupathi.
The unconditional apology from the counsel did not happen today.
CJI warns central ministers
The breach of judicial propriety had its repercussions everywhere. The Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan has warned Central ministers not to interfere in the judiciary. "Ministers should refrain from contacting judges in matters pending in courts," he said.
The government is on the backfoot, especially with the Prime Minister's focus having