Chandigarh: In yet another setback to justice (retired) Nirmal Yadav, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the trial in the alleged ‘cash-at-judge's’ scam which is currently underway in a special CBI court.
The court of Justice Permod Kohli postponed the next hearing in the case to July 14 following a law ministry request that it be given time to file a reply whether the sanction to prosecute Yadav was initially turned down.
Last month, the high court had asked the law ministry to file an affidavit clarifying whether erstwhile chief justice KG Balakrishnan had given in writing an opinion that eventually led CBI to file a closure report in the case.
In its December 2009 closure report, the CBI had said the competent authority had refused to grant sanction for Yadav’s prosecution.
Yadav moved the court in March seeking quashing of the fresh charge sheet filed by the CBI against her.
The ‘cash-at-judge’s door' scam hit the Punjab and Haryana High Court after a packet with Rs 15 lakh in it was delivered at the Chandigarh residence of high court judge Nirmaljit Kaur on August 13, 2008.
Kaur complained to the police following which property dealer Rajeev Gupta, advocate Sanjeev Bansal, and Delhi hotelier Ravinder Singh Bhasin were arrested.
Gupta and Bansal reportedly told cops that the cash was meant for Nirmal Yadav and that another packet containing Rs 15 lakh had been sent to her Sector 24 official home later.
Yadav went on leave after the scam made headlines and was later transferred to the Uttarakhand High Court. She retired from the Uttarakhand High Court on March 4, the same day when the CBI filed a charge-sheet against her for corruption, conspiracy, destroying evidence and creation of false evidence.
The agency filed the charge-sheet after President Pratibha Patil in February gave sanction for the prosecution of Yadav.
In related news, Yadav has to appear before the special CBI court in Chandigarh on July 9 in connection with the case.
The court of Justice Permod Kohli postponed the next hearing in the case to July 14 following a law ministry request that it be given time to file a reply whether the sanction to prosecute Yadav was initially turned down.
Last month, the high court had asked the law ministry to file an affidavit clarifying whether erstwhile chief justice KG Balakrishnan had given in writing an opinion that eventually led CBI to file a closure report in the case.
In its December 2009 closure report, the CBI had said the competent authority had refused to grant sanction for Yadav’s prosecution.
Yadav moved the court in March seeking quashing of the fresh charge sheet filed by the CBI against her.
The ‘cash-at-judge’s door' scam hit the Punjab and Haryana High Court after a packet with Rs 15 lakh in it was delivered at the Chandigarh residence of high court judge Nirmaljit Kaur on August 13, 2008.
Kaur complained to the police following which property dealer Rajeev Gupta, advocate Sanjeev Bansal, and Delhi hotelier Ravinder Singh Bhasin were arrested.
Gupta and Bansal reportedly told cops that the cash was meant for Nirmal Yadav and that another packet containing Rs 15 lakh had been sent to her Sector 24 official home later.
Yadav went on leave after the scam made headlines and was later transferred to the Uttarakhand High Court. She retired from the Uttarakhand High Court on March 4, the same day when the CBI filed a charge-sheet against her for corruption, conspiracy, destroying evidence and creation of false evidence.
The agency filed the charge-sheet after President Pratibha Patil in February gave sanction for the prosecution of Yadav.
In related news, Yadav has to appear before the special CBI court in Chandigarh on July 9 in connection with the case.
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