The UPA government finds itself awkwardly placed after the disclosure by Justice R Reghupathy that a Union Minister tried to influence him to pass on a favourable judgement for two petitioners involved in a case.

The development has rattled the judiciary fraternity who view the development as an attempt by the political class to interfere in the judiciary process. It goes without saying that it is also an abuse of power.

The CJI (Chief Justice of India) has expressed his strong displeasure over the issue and has termed it as gross impropriety. While leaving it to the government to take suitable action against the Minister, the CJI has hinted that he expects a strong action to be taken to set an example that the government means business when it comes to ensuring independent environment for judiciary without any interference from any section.

Lawyers in Chennai also came down heavily against the Minister and asked for his immediate sacking from the Cabinet.

The Bar Council of India, India’s apex regulatory body for legal issues, demanded contempt proceedings against the Minister.

Opposition party BJP too was quick to pounce on the government and demanded sacking of the Minister.

With this the UPA government will find it extremely difficult to justify the continuation of the Minister in the cabinet. Any attempt to set-up the conventional way of directing an inquiry into the whole episode will be viewed as an attempt to doubt the credibility of the Judge. It will also be seen as an effort to compromise the moral values as a trade-off to alliance support if the Minister belongs to an alliance party.

Meanwhile interests run high to figure out who the errant Minister is in the whole episode. Speculations say he is from South India and had been involved in a major controversy last year pertaining to allegations of favouritism to corporate at the cost of loss to exchequer. There was strong opposition to his renomination in the Cabinet in the new government set-up but ultimately he got the desired ministry for a second term.

This time however, Congress won’t find it easy to extend support to the Minister. It is easier for a government to justify allegations of corruption against Ministers because those are hard to prove but when a HC Judge reports of a misdeed by a Minister  then things certainly have to be taken with different level of seriousness and forth rightness.

Meanwhile reports say that union Minister A Raja has declined any knowledge of his name cropping up in the issue. "I don't know anything. I don't know anything. I don't know," said the Minister quoting to a TV channel.