Karunanidhi questions Raja over Jayalalitha allegation

DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has asked his party colleague and IT and Communication Minister A. Raja to respond to allegations that he pressurised a judge to give bail to two men accused in a criminal case.

"Kalignar (as Karunanidhi is referred to) has sought a clarification from Raja. He (Raja) has given a reply. I don't know what his reply was," a top DMK functionary told IANS here.

On June 30, Justice R. Reghupathi of the Madras High Court stunned everyone while hearing an anticipatory bail petition of S. Kiruba Shridhar, a student in a private medical college of Puducherry, and his father C. Krishnamurthy, saying a union minister had asked him to give bail to the two accused.

The judge had threatened to complain to the central government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the union minister's interference but he has so far not named the minister.

AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha alleged that the said minister was none but Raja.

On Saturday, Raja again denied the charge. "All these allegations are baseless. It is a political conspiracy," he told reporters in Chennai.

According to Jayalalitha, the accused hail from Perambalur, Raja's home district.

Raja denies knowing Krishnamurthy. "I do not know who Krishnamurthy you are talking about," Raja said.

Shridhar, who had failed in his exams for the past two years, and his father allegedly changed his answer sheet to secure extra marks.

Later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) uncovered the alleged role of the father and son in forging marksheets.

Judge Reghupathi referred the case to Chief Justice H.L. Gokhale, urging him to post the matter before another bench.

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( 296 Words)

2009-07-04-15:43:44 (IANS)

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