The Madras high court on Monday issued notices to Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry chairman RK Chandramohen and the Bar Council of India on a writ plea seeking disclosure of the name of the Union minister who had attempted to contact Justice Regupathi for a favourable order in a criminal case. A division bench comprising Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla and Justice R Banumathi admitted the petition filed by advocate Elephant G Rajendran and asked Chandramohen, who appeared for the accused doctor-son duo in a marksheet scam case, to submit his reply within four weeks. On Monday, a copy of the confidential report of Justice R Regupathi, explaining the details and circumstances under which he had revealed in an open court that a Union minister tried to exert pressure on him, was also furnished before the bench. The copy was submitted in a sealed cover, when a writ petition filed by Rajendran against Chandramohen came up for further hearing. Last week, the bench had directed the registrar-general of the court to furnish a copy of the report, if any. After perusing the report, the judges said they were satisfied that a prima facie case was made out for issuing notices to the Bar Council of India as well as Chandramohen. "The letter circulated by the registrar-general is returned to him to be kept in safe custody for being produced as and when called for. We had the benefit of going through the letter by the judge (Justice Regupathi), and we are satisfied that prima facie case has been made for admission," observed the judges. During arguments, the judges told the chairman's senior advocate Vijay Narayan that the former must explain on what capacity he was holding the statutory post. "If he does not file his reply, we will be constrained to pass a direction," Justice Kalifulla said. Last month, Justice Regupathi created a flutter in judicial circles when he disclosed in open court that a Union minister had tried to reach him over mobile phone and exert pressure on him to grant anticipatory bail to the doctor-son duo, accused of tampering with Pondicherry University records and forging marksheets. The scam is being investigated by the CBI now.
