MHAA condemns lawyer's action

Madras High Court Advocates Association(MHAA) today condemned the alleged attempt by the chairman of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Bar Council to influence a Judge by using the name of a Union minister to get anticipatory bails for his clients in a criminal case.
    
"Whoever intervened or influenced or issued any threat to any judicial officer, it is highly condemnable. (RK) Chandramohan (the advocate who is chairman of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Bar Council) is not an exception," MHAA president RC Paul Kanakaraj told reporters when asked about the controversy sparked by Justice S Reghupathy's remarks.
    
"We cannot initiate any action against the Chairman of a Bar Council. Besides, he is not a member of MHAA," he said replying to another question. The court alone could take action against him. "We don't know Chandramohan's version.  As of now no complaint has been made by the judge. No contempt is pending. The matter ended with the Judge accepting the apology," Kanakaraj added.
    
The controversy was triggered by Justice Reghupathy's comments in the open court last week that a Union minister had tried to influence him to grant anticipatory bail to the two accused in the forged marksheet case. However, chief justice of India KG Balakrishnan has said no politician had spoken to Justice R Reghupathy and that he had come to know that the lawyer had claimed that some minister was interested in the case.