A day after a sitting judge of the Madras High Court accused a counsel of using a Union minister’s name to influence him into awarding anticipatory bail to a father-son duo accused in an answer paper forgery case, legal and political circles here were abuzz with speculation about the identity of the minister.

On Monday, Justice R Regupathy dropped a bombshell inside the court when he asked the counsel to refrain from influencing him. He was hearing an anticipatory bail petition from a doctor and his MBBS student son charged with forgery by the CBI.

When the court refused to entertain the bail plea, which it had turned down earlier on June 15, counsel for the accused R K Chandramohan protested, saying that the court was passing the orders on the basis of the arguments by the prosecution alone, without listening to the other side.

An angry Justice Regupathy made the controversial statement about the attempts to influence him, though he refrained from naming the minister. The judge demanded an unconditional apology from the defence counsel — who is also the chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry — and warned that in case of non-compliance all details would be incorporated in the order.

High Court sources said Chandramohan met the judge later in the evening to tender an apology. Justice Regupathy subsequently withdrew himself from the case, requesting the Chief Justice to post the case before another bench.

As the minister’s identity was not revealed, there were many versions as to who the minister was.

... contd.