E-Paper
Cash at judge’s door: 2 witnesses turn hostile in 2008 case
The case involves retired high court judge Nirmal Yadav, who is facing trial for allegedly receiving ₹15 lakh from a Delhi-based hotelier
Two prosecution witnesses were declared hostile in the 2008 cash-at-judge’s door scam on Saturday.
The case involves retired high court judge Nirmal Yadav, who is facing trial for allegedly receiving ₹15 lakh from a Delhi-based hotelier Ravinder Singh in 2008. Besides Yadav and Singh, the other accused in the case are city-based businessman Rajiv Gupta, one Nirmal Singh and since deceased, Sanjeev Bansal, the then additional advocate general of Haryana.
The two witnesses declared hostile were Vimal Bhardwaj, 60, from Dehradun and Kuldeep Singh, 70, from Jangumajra village of Ambala.
As per prosecution, when the accused Ravinder was evading arrest, he had stayed at their paces. The two had told the CBI in their recorded statements that Ravinder had disclosed about the incident to them. However, on Saturday they changed their statement, after which they were declared hostile.
Vimal Bhardwaj, a friend of the accused, told the court that he used to go to Hotel Ridge View, belonging to the accused, and stay there 2-3 times a year since he had to purchase material from Karol Bagh, Delhi. However, he denied meeting the accused in 2008.
Further, during cross-examination he told court that he was never called by the CBI regarding the present case.
As per the statement recorded by the CBI on November 21, 2018, he had said that “Ravinder Singh is a very resourceful person, having very good relations with politicians, higher bureaucracy and judiciary. On many visits, he had noticed VIP vehicles with red light, parked there.” But during cross examination, on Saturday, he denied making any such statement or that the CBI had recorded his statement on November 21, 2018.
He also denied telling the CBI that “sometime in the last week of August 2008, Ravinder Singh visited his house unexpectedly.”
Vimal also denied, when special public prosecutor Anupam Gupta asked him about another statement recorded with the CBI, wherein he had said: “He (Ravinder Singh) informed me that he had purchased some land in Himachal Pradesh in partnership with Mrs Nirmal Yadav, a judge in Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, and he had sent ₹15 lakh as payment for the said land through his friend Sanjiv Bansal to Mrs Nirmal Yadav. But due to some communication gap, the said money was wrongly delivered at the house of some other judge and because of that he was in trouble.”
Following this, he was declared hostile.
The other prosecution witness Kuldeep Singh, 70, had said that he knows the accused Ravinder Singh Bhasin, who is a cousin of his relative but denied meeting him in 2008 or knowing anything about this case.
Apart from the two, two more prosecution witness OP Singh and Laxmi Kant were examined.
54 PROSECUTION WITNESSES EXAMINED SO FAR
So far, 54 prosecution witnesses have been examined. Of these, around 10 have turned hostile while 5-6 have been summoned for the next hearing on November 30. Apart from this, three-four have died.
COURT DISPOSES OF YADAV’S APPLICATION FOR PASSPORT RENEWAL
The special CBI court has disposed of the application filed by accused Justice Nirmal Yadav (retd) seeking permission for getting her passport renewed by the passport authority. Stating that the passport authority is the competent authority in the matter of issue or renewal of passport, special CBI judge Sushil Kumar Garg disposed of the application on Saturday.
The application mentioned that the accused possesses the passport, which expired on May 17, 2019. She had applied for renewal before the passport authority but it directed her to get permission for the same from the court.
“It has been pleaded that the applicant/accused undertakes to abide by all the conditions imposed by this court for renewal of the passport and she will not leave the country without prior permission of this court,” the application mentioned.
It was mentioned that previously also, she got her passport renewed, but passport authorities have renewed the same only for one year and she visited abroad with the permission of the court.
The special CBI court has disposed of the application filed by accused Justice Nirmal Yadav (retd) seeking permission for getting her passport renewed by the passport authority. Stating that the passport authority is the competent authority in the matter of issue or renewal of passport, special CBI judge Sushil Kumar Garg disposed of the application on Saturday.
The application mentioned that the accused possesses the passport, which expired on May 17, 2019. She had applied for renewal before the passport authority but it directed her to get permission for the same from the court.
“It has been pleaded that the applicant/accused undertakes to abide by all the conditions imposed by this court for renewal of the passport and she will not leave the country without prior permission of this court,” the application mentioned.
It was mentioned that previously also, she got her passport renewed, but passport authorities have renewed the same only for one year and she visited abroad with the permission of the court.
