New Delhi, January 5
Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan has issued show-cause notice to Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nirmal Yadav, asking her why action cannot be taken against her for her alleged involvement in the cash-at-doorstep scam.
The notice has been issued in the light of the report of a three-judge committee, set up by the CJI to go into the scam, Supreme Court sources said today.
The committee comprising Chief Justices Hemant Laxman Gokhale of the Allahabad High Court and K S Radhakrishnan of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Delhi High Court judge Madan B Lokur had submitted its report to the CJI on December 12.
The case pertains to allegations that a bribe of Rs 15 lakh meant for Justice Nirmal Yadav was by mistake delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur.
Justice Nirmaljit Kaur had lodged a police complaint on August 13, stating that senior Haryana law officer Sanjeev Bansal had delivered the cash. The case was subsequently handed over to the CBI, which also examined the two Judges with the permission of the CJI. Justice Yadav has been asked to proceed on leave.
The CJI had simultaneously set up the judges’ panel to decide on the future course of action.
The CJI had followed a similar procedure in the case of Calcutta High Court Judge Soumitra Sen. He subsequently recommended impeachment of Justice Sen following his refusal to accept the suggestion to quit in the light of his indictment for misconduct in depositing in his personal account the proceeds in a case in which he was the court receiver.
According to legal sources, Justice Yadav and four other Judges of the Punjab and Haryana Court were being transferred. Rashtrapati Bhavan officials, however, were not reachable on phone in the evening to get the report confirmed.
