The Punjab and Haryana High Court issued notices to Justice (Retd.) Nirmal Yadav and three other accused in connection with the 2008 ‘cash at judge’s doorstep’ case, following an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging their earlier acquittal. A division bench comprising Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul and Justice H.S. Grewal has scheduled the matter for hearing on December 15. The Court’s notice reflects the seriousness with which the High Court is treating allegations of judicial bribery.
The controversy dates back to August 2008, when a bag containing Rs 15 lakh was reportedly delivered to the residence of then High Court judge Justice Nirmaljit Kaur by the clerk of former Haryana Additional Advocate General, Sanjeev Bansal. The delivery was immediately reported to the police, leading to the registration of an FIR and subsequent transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
Investigators alleged that the sum was originally intended for Justice Nirmal Yadav, also a sitting judge at the time, as illicit gratification to influence a favourable order in a property dispute (RSA-550-2007). Due to the similarity in names, the bag was mistakenly delivered to Justice Kaur. The CBI submitted its chargesheet in 2011 after examining 78 witnesses.
In March of this year, a special CBI court in Chandigarh acquitted all accused, citing serious lapses in the investigation. The court described the CBI’s evidence as “fabricated and highly unworthy of trust,” particularly criticising its reliance on Raj Kumar Jain, a litigant who had lost a case before Justice Yadav. The judgment noted that Jain’s testimony contained numerous “improvements, assumptions, and falsehoods,” and held that the CBI should have adhered to its initial closure report.
Challenging the acquittal, CBI Special Public Prosecutor Akashdeep Singh submitted that the trial court disregarded credible evidence demonstrating both direct and circumstantial links connecting the accused to the alleged bribery.
According to the CBI, Rs 15 lakh was sent by accused Ravinder Singh through Sanjeev Bansal to Justice Yadav, but was mistakenly delivered to Justice Kaur’s residence by a munshi, Parkash Ram. On the following day, August 14, 2008, Rajiv Gupta allegedly handed over the amount to Justice Yadav, coinciding with a land purchase by him in Solan. The CBI further contended that Gupta and Bansal later attempted to cover up the transaction by fabricating a property-deal narrative.
The agency asserted that its case was supported by telephone records, confessional statements recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC, and additional circumstantial evidence, including the recovery of Rs 15 lakh in cash, extra illegal gratification of Rs 2.5 lakh, and other benefits such as air tickets. Although a few witnesses turned hostile, the CBI argued that the trial court wrongly dismissed the substantial body of evidence, relying instead on speculative reasoning. The prosecution described the lower court’s acquittal as “perverse” and inconsistent with Supreme Court principles governing circumstantial evidence, urging the High Court to overturn the verdict.
The matter is now before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which will hear the CBI’s appeal on December 15, providing an opportunity to examine the evidence and legal arguments afresh.
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