New Delhi: Former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani today (Apr 8, 2004) came out in strong defence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the wake of fresh newspaper reports on the Bofors scam, saying the charges were unwarranted after Delhi High Court's clean chit to late Rajiv Gandhi.

The noted lawyer, who is contesting as an independent with Congress support from Lucknow against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, raised questions over the timing of the report in a New Delhi daily and suspected the "hand of Government functionaries" behind it.

"It is just trash", Jethmalani told reporters commenting on the report.

He pointed out that Delhi High Court had already absolved Rajiv Gandhi and the family of any involvement in the Bofors gun deal and the statement by the Swedish police officer was "unwarranted".

On the demand that Sonia Gandhi be questioned by CBI in view of the report, Jethmalani asserted there was no case for such a step.

Indicating that he suspected involvement of some Government functionaries in the report considering the timing, he said, "it is obvious. Since their plank of foreign origin issue has failed, they have started relying on a foreign police officer."