Chennai:
Did former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan hide the truth about A Raja trying to influence a Madras High court judge?
In a rare disclosure, today, Supreme Court judge H L Gokhale issued a statement contradicting the former top judge, and said, "The former Chief Justice of India has stated in his press conference that in my letter I did not mention the name of any Union Minister having talked to Justice Reghupati over phone to influence him. I may point out that Justice Regupati's letter was already with him and in the second paragraph Justice Regupathi had specifically mentioned the name of minister Raja."
"What Justice Gokhale has said is the truth. That's what really happened. The majesty of law and truth will triumph. I stand vindicated," said Justice S Regupathi, Former Judge of Madras High Court.
The controversy centers around a criminal case in the Madras High court, which was being heard by Justice Reghupati in 2009 .
It was then that Reghupati wrote to Justice Gokhale, then the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, alleging that Raja had tried to influence him through advocate Chandra Mohan.
Justice Gokhale today released an extract from that letter, which he said he forwarded to Justice Balakrishnan and even got an acknowledgement.
The extract says: (Chandramohan) said that two persons, who are father and son, accused in a criminal case, are family friends of a Union Minister by the name Raja and that the petition filed by them must be considered favourably.
Balakrishnan had denied this, saying the report he received just mentioned a minister and no names were disclosed.
"When this incident was reported in the media, I sought for a report from the then Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice Gokhale and he sent me a report wherein nothing was mentioned about any Union Minister having made a telephonic talk with Justice Regupathy to influence him," Balakrishnan had said.
Justice Gokhale clearly keen to set the record straight, says, "The continuity of the correspondence clearly shows that the incident related to Advocate Chandramohan and Minister Raja had been brought to the notice of the former CJI."
It is perhaps for the first time that the judiciary is questioning its own, whether its Supreme Court's observations against the Allahabad High Court, or, a sitting Judge contradicting the former Chief Justice of India.