Cash-for-judge scam reaches last stages in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH - The infamous cash-for-judge scam, which rocked this union territory last year in August, seems to have reached its last stages with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitting its final report.

The sealed document was submitted Friday to sessions judge K.K. Garg here in the district court, reportedly seeking cancellation of the case.

This report was then handed over to the CBI special judge here Saturday and the next date of hearing of this case was fixed Thursday.

CBI has sought the cancellation of the case as it did not get sanctions to prosecute the main suspects, including judges. Remaining details of the report would only be divulged on the next hearing date on Dec 24. Most probably, this case is in its last stages and would be buried soon,” well placed sources in CBI told IANS.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court was hit by this scam after a packet containing Rs.1.5 million in cash was delivered Aug 13 last year at the Sector 11 residence of newly appointed high court judge Nirmaljit Kaur. She had registered an FIR with police.

The police later arrested (then) Haryana additional advocate general Sanjeev Bansal, a property dealer Rajiv Gupta and Delhi-based hotelier Ravinder Singh in this connection.

Bansal and Gupta told the police that the money was meant for another high court judge Nirmal Yadav. They claimed that another packet containing Rs.1.5 million was separately delivered to Yadav at her Sector 24 official residence later on. However, Yadav went on leave Aug 22 after her name figured in the bribery scandal.

After the names of influential people were highlighted in this case, the Punjab governor transferred this case to CBI.

However, Chief Justice of India (CJI) K.G. Balakrishnan constituted a separate committee comprising Allahabad High Court Chief Justice H.L. Gokhale, Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice M.B. Lokur of the Delhi High Court to look into the matter.

In December, the committee submitted its report to CJI and in January Justice Yadav sent her response to the CJI in which she denied all allegations.