Former CJI KG Balakrishnan on Wednesday insisted that disgraced former telecom minister A Raja?s name didn?t figure in the report sent to him by the then Madras High Court Chief Justice HL Gokhale, who is now a Supreme Court sitting judge.

Denying that he suppressed certain facts, the former Chief Justice of India in a press statement said that there was no question of ?suppressing? an alleged bid to save Raja who allegedly tried to influence a high court judge through advocate K Chandramohan.

Balakrishnan said the then Madras High Court Chief Justice did not make any cogent ground in his report to prosecute the former minister ? And in this issue, as per the report of the Chief Justice Madras High Court, there was no cogent ground made out for a case against any the Union minister,?? said Justice KG Balakrishnan, who is now the chairman of NHRC.

Releasing a letter that justice Gokhale wrote to him at that time, Balakrishnan said: ?I am certain that in the report received from the Chief Justice of Madras High Court, no name of the Union minister was mentioned, and that there was no case that any minister himself (had a) telephonic talk with the judge or threatened or influenced him,? the former CJI said.

Justice Gokhale in a press statement on Tuesday had contradicted Justice Balakrishan?s claim that he was not aware that it was Raja who had tried to influence a Madras High Court judge in a criminal case.

Putting the blame on Justice Raghupathi for not initiating action against Raja, Justice Balakrishnan said, ?I would reiterate that in any case if the concerned judge felt that anybody, be it a Union minister, tried to influence his judicial function, he could have proceeded against him, without seeking any direction from the CJI or the Chief Justice of High Court, under the contempt of the Court.??

He further said Union law minister M Veerappa Moily and the Central government were aware of the controversy. ?All these matters were brought to the notice of the Union law minister on the 18th August, 2009, in response to his letter to me drawing reference to the memorandum submitted to the PM by the MPs of different political parties. There was no question of suppressing the report of the Chief Justice of Madras High Court,?? the press release stated.

Adding that he never suppressed any facts hr said that he never wanted to publish any confidential letter received by him in his capacity as Chief Justice of India.

The high court on December 7 had suspended Chandramohan from functioning as the president of the Bar Council of Madras.

However, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the high court order.

Meanwhile, noted jurist Ram Jethmalani, who is the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said that the former CJI should avoid giving ?rash and irresponsible? statements on the controversy surrounding for allegedly trying to influence a judge in a criminal case.

?Instead of rushing with his rash and irresponsible statements, the former CJI should have taken care and consulted the file by summoning the registrar of the Supreme Court,? he said.

The BJP MP said the present controversy was uncalled for as the file was already with the Supreme Court registry and Justice Balakrishnan should have consulted the records. am constrained to quote from my personal file, the full text of the report dated 08th August, 2009, given by the then Chief Justice of Madras High Court to me so that the matter be clarified.