K. Sudhakaran MP booked for making bribery remark against judge

February 15, 2011

Thiruvananthapuram.Congress MP K Sudhakaran was Tuesday charged by Kerala police with concealing design to commit crime in connection with his startling claim that he was witness to a Supreme Court judge allegedly being bribed 15 years ago.

The Museum police registered the case against Sudhakaran under sections 120 and 200 of IPC--concealing design to commit offences and using false declaration as true respectively-- on a complaint by a lawyers' forum in Thiruvananthapuram which alleged his speech at a public meeting few days back amounted to insulting the judiciary.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily disapproved of Sudhakaran's remarks saying such allegations could make people lose confidence in the judiciary. Sudhakaran's sensational speech at Kottarakkara in Kollam district last Saturday has sparked a huge controversy in political and legal circles.

The Congress has distanced itself from Sudhakaran's adverse remarks, holding that the party was against any attempt that would dent judiciary's credibility. Sudhakaran, a former state minister who now represents Kannur in the Lok Sabha, had made the charge without naming the judge at the meeting organised by supporters of R Balakrishna Pillai, who was recently sentenced to one year imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a corruption case.

Moily said "You cannot pass remarks(against judiciary) that will bring the institution to disrepute". "The judiciary ..is very important. We have taken all 62 years... many pains and agonies people have suffered, to build this institution", he said.

"You will have to be very careful, whoever it is, be it a minister, MP or anybody. While making comments on people who occupy the highest office, let them not forget what that they are doing is making people to lose confidence in those institutions" Moily asserted. "Individuals are not important,institutions are important", he said.

"It is necessary for us to nurture and also rebuild the credibility of the institutions", he said. "Making off the cuff remarks on some personality, I do not approve of it", he said responding to queries on Sudhakaran's remarks. The CPI(M) and other parties have asked Sudhakaran to come out with details of his bribery claim and also criticised his silence all these years