Judge-minister case brings to light scam whistleblower's death - The Jayaraman case

While the telephone call by a Union Minister to pressurise a sitting judge of the Madras High Court has stunned the nation, the issue has also brought to light another shocking case of the murder of a whistleblower in Pondicherry. Jayaraman, an employee of the Pondicherry University exposed a scam where the varsity's answer papers were being tampered with in return for money. But soon he was found murdered and the case was handed over to the CBI. It was then that the university found the involvement of Dr Krishnamurthi and his son studying in a local medical college. They had allegedly fudged an answer script so that Krishnamurthi's son could pass in a subject he had failed twice. "We immediately dismissed two people, and one has been imprisoned," said J A K Tareen, Vice Chancellor, Pondicherry University. It was in this backdrop the father and son had sought anticipatory bail from the Madras High Court and according to Justice Reghupathy a Union Minister had pressured him on the phone to grant them bail. And while the government is under pressure to reveal the name of the minister, in Puducherry the family of Jayaraman is hoping for a speedy justice.