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Panchkula special CBI judge suspended
Haryana judicial officer was holding trial of many high-profile cases, including those against former CM Hooda; Sudhir Parmar was holding state’s designated courts for CBI and ED cases.
Panchkula special CBI judge Sudhir Parmar, whose official residence was raided on the morning of April 18 by the Haryana anti-corruption bureau (ACB) team, was on Thursday placed under suspension by the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Parmar, who is a subject of ACB inquiry, was questioned by a team last week at his Panchkula residence on the basis of a purported audio recording. A few of his relatives in Gurugram and a real estate developer were also questioned by the sleuths. Gurugram additional and district sessions judge, special commercial court, Rajeev Goyal on Thursday replaced Parmar as the special CBI judge, Panchkula.
Parmar was posted in November 2021 as special CBI judge. He was also holding the charge of special judge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Ordinarily, judicial officers have a tenure of three years. Parmar was not available for comments.
Parmar, as the special CBI judge, was presiding over the trial of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a number of former IAS officers and real estate developers in Manesar land scam and AJL case. It is not yet known whether the ACB has found any evidence pertaining to influencing the course of trial.
The CBI though has not named the former CM in a chargesheet filed in a case pertaining to release of about 95% of 1,407 acres under acquisition land in Gurugram during the Congress rule in 2009. It had in January 2019 registered a case against Hooda, officials and 15 real estate developers in the matter. The probe was ordered on directions of the Supreme Court.
The permission to question the special CBI judge was taken by the ACB from the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court. The HC subsequently filed an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court, seeking permission of the apex court to transfer Parmar.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud on April 25 ordered that the interlocutory application is taken on board upon being mentioned. “This interlocutory application has been moved by the Punjab and Haryana HC for permission to transfer a judicial officer. The interlocutory application is allowed by permitting the HC to transfer the judicial officer,” said the SC bench, which is monitoring the progress of cases against Members of Parliament and members of legislative assemblies.
The SC had in October 2022 directed the HCs that if transfers of judicial officers presiding over special courts and CBI courts involving prosecution of MPs and MLAs was necessitated for any reason (except in the normal course of transfer at the end of the tenure), the prior permission of the Supreme Court shall be deemed to be necessary.
Manesar land scam, AJL case tried by Special CBI judge
The CBI had in 2018 filed charge-sheet against former chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former IAS officers and real estate developers in the Manesar land scam after the Supreme Court in 2015 ordered investigations in the decision of the erstwhile Congress administration under Hooda to drop acquisition proceedings. Hooda is also facing trial before the special CBI court in a case of alleged reallocation of an institutional plot in Panchkula to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper. The 3,500 square metre plot was first allotted to AJL in 1982 but resumed by Haryana Urban Development Authority in 1992 due to no construction on the land. Hooda, who by virtue of being the chief minister, was the chairman of HUDA, the entity which allotted, resumed and restored the plot to AJL, had passed a speaking order (a reasoned order) to restore the plot.
The former CM is also facing a CBI in case pertaining to allotment of industrial plots in Panchkula though the central agency has not filed a charge sheet in the Panchkula court. The enforcement directorate (ED) had in February 2021 filed a prosecution complaint (a charge sheet) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a special PMLA trial court against Hooda and others in the Panchkula industrial plots case. The special PMLA court was also presided over by the special CBI judge.
