Woman judge in Delhi remanded in judicial custody on graft charges

New Delhi, September 29  

A senior civil woman judge was on Thursday remanded in 14 days judicial custody in a graft case by a special court, which sent her lawyer husband and a local commissioner to two days in police custody.

Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal, Senior Civil Judge at Tis Hazari Court, was produced before Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal who sent her to judicial custody till October 13 after CBI said her custodial interrogation was not required.

The court also fixed her bail application for hearing on October 3.

Meanwhile, the court also sent her husband Alok Lakhanpal, a practicing lawyer, and local commissioner Vikas Mehal to two days in CBI custody till October one. They were arrested by CBI on Thursday morning.

During the hearing, CBI told the court that a complaint was received against the judge on September 27 that she had appointed an advocate as local commissioner in a civil case she was adjudicating and had allegedly demanded bribe.

CBI claimed it conducted a raid at the judicial officer’s Gulabi Bagh house here late last night and recovered Rs 94 lakh.

It alleged that the woman was arrested while allegedly accepting bribe of Rs four lakh from the advocate which was the first installment of total demand of Rs 20 lakh demanded by her. — PTI