A Special CBI Court in Chandigarh has acquitted former judge Justice Nirmal Yadav in the high-profile cash bribery case dating back to 2008. The verdict was pronounced today by Special CBI Judge Alka Malik, bringing an end to the prolonged legal battle.
The case traces back to August 2008 when a peon at the Punjab & Haryana High Court, working under Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, reported that a bag containing Rs. 15 lakh in cash had mistakenly been delivered to her courtroom. The judge immediately alerted the authorities and instructed them to apprehend the peon. Following this, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe and alleged that the cash was originally intended for Justice Nirmal Yadav’s residence.
In January 2009, the CBI sought permission to prosecute Justice Yadav. Although the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted the sanction in November 2010, Justice Yadav contested the CBI’s request. Her plea to quash the proceedings was dismissed by both the High Court and the Supreme Court, with the latter criticizing her for allegedly delaying the trial through multiple petitions.
The President of India’s office finally approved the prosecution sanction in March 2011, following which the CBI filed a chargesheet. During this period, Justice Yadav had been transferred to the Uttarakhand High Court in February 2010 and retired a month later in March 2011.
In 2014, the Supreme Court dismissed Yadav’s plea for a stay on trial proceedings, pointing out that her repeated attempts to challenge the process were merely tactics to delay the case. Subsequently, Special CBI Court Judge Vimal Kumar framed charges against Justice Yadav under Section 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, while four other accused were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
During the trial, the prosecution listed 84 witnesses, of which 69 were examined. In February this year, the High Court allowed the CBI to re-examine 10 witnesses, instructing the trial court to avoid unnecessary adjournments. The court reserved its verdict on March 27.
Justice Nirmal Yadav was represented by advocates S.K. Garg Narwana and Shri V.G. Narwana. The court, while delivering the judgment today, concluded that the prosecution failed to substantiate the charges with concrete evidence, leading to her acquittal.
