Cash found its way to wrong judge: report

A committee of three judges set-up by the Chief Justice of India to probe the allegations involving two women judges of Punjab and Haryana high court submitted its report to him on Friday.

A committee of three judges set-up by the Chief Justice of India to probe the allegations involving two women judges of Punjab and Haryana high court submitted its report to him on Friday.

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The committee is learnt to have concluded that Rs 15 lakh cash wrongly delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur of the Punjab and Haryana high court was actually meant for another lady judge, Nirmal Yadav.

The final decision in the matter now rests with Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan. It is learnt that justice Nirmal Yadav could have to explain her conduct, which appears to be a case of impropriety. Justice Yadav has, however, denied any wrongdoing.

The committee, comprising Allahabad high court chief justice Hemant Laxman Gokhale, Jammu and Kashmir high court chief justice K. S. Radhakrishnan and Delhi high court judge Madan B Lokur finalised its report after examining many witnesses and also both the lady judges.

The matter came to light when Justice Kaur lodged a police complaint on August 13 that an accomplice of a senior Haryana law officer Sanjeev Bansal had brought Rs 15 lakh cash for her.

Police investigations showed the money was actually meant for justice Nirmal Yadav, who said the amount was meant to buy land in Solan in Himachal Pradesh. Five people including Bansal, his clerk and a Delhi hotelier Ravinder Singh were arrested in the case.Chandigarh police handed over the case to the CBI following directions from the Punjab governor, and for the first time, CJU Balakrishnan had permitted the investigative agency to question both the sitting lady judges.