New Delhi, Chennai: In what may come as a huge embarrassment for the Manmohan Singh government, Justice R Regupathy of the Madras High Court said on Tuesday that a Union Minister had telephoned him asking him to give bail to an accused in a criminal case.
Sources have told NDTV the minister is from Tamil Nadu and the case involves a Puducherry doctor and his son, accused of committing a fraud in a medical exam.
It's a complete breach of judicial propriety and speaking to NDTV, 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," Balakrishnan said.
Justice Regupathy has not named the minister, but threatened to write to the Prime Minister if he doesn't get an unconditional apology from the accused who the minister was trying to protect.
When NDTV contacted Chief Justice Balakrishnan, he was clearly upset and worried. He said that interference in the judiciary is not a good practice and it is not good for the judiciary.
But the government is on the backfoot, especially with the Prime Minister's focus having been on a clean Council of Ministers. And this has given the Opposition a chance to raise its voice.
"The Prime Minister should sack the minister," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Law Minister Veerappa Moily, meanwhile, said the government cannot intervene at this stage.
"Let me verify facts first, but normally these are matters where law officers should step in or concerned judiciary. We will step in only when it's appropriate," Moily said.
The case is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday.