Cong MP says SC judge bribed, CPM wants probe

Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala Congress MP has kicked up a row after claiming that he witnessed a Supreme Court judge being paid 21 lakh as bribe in the 1990s. The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Kerala Bar Council on Sunday demanded that the Supreme Court order a thorough inquiry into the charge levelled by K Sudhakaran, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Kannur.

Sudhakaran claimed that the bribe was paid in New Delhi when late Congress leader K Karunakaran was the Kerala chief minister and licences to 21 liquor bars were cancelled by the High Court. The MP claimed that the bribe money was meant for a favourable verdict against the Kerala High Court order.

"When the High Court pulled back the 21 Bar licences that were issued by K Krunakaran, a bribe was being paid to a Supreme Court judge to get back those licences and I was a witness to that," said Sudhakaran.

CPI-M has asked K Sudhakaran to come out with details of his bribery claim.

The MP made the startling claim on Saturday at a public meeting organised at Kottarakkara in Kollam for former minister R Balakrishna Pillai, who was sentenced to a year's rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a corruption case recently.

CPI-M has asked Sudhakaran to come out with details of his bribery claim and also criticised his silence all these years.

Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan described the allegations as serious and hoped the Supreme Court would take a serious note of the charge. Achutanandan also wondered if Sudhakaran would name the judge, who was allegedly bribed.

Kerala Bar Council adopted a resolution demanding a thorough enquiry into Sudhakaran's allegations.

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