A CBI court in Chandigarh is set to deliver its verdict on Saturday in the 2008 “cash at judge’s door” case involving Justice Nirmal Yadav, who was then serving as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The case came to light when a bag containing ₹15 lakh was mistakenly delivered to the residence of another sitting judge, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, due to the similarity in their names.
The prosecution contended that the cash was originally intended for Justice Yadav, but was inadvertently sent to Justice Kaur’s home. Following this incident, the Chandigarh Police registered an FIR on August 16, 2008.
After the completion of final arguments on additional evidence presented by the prosecution and the rebuttal by the defense counsels, Special CBI Judge Alka Malik reserved the judgment. During the proceedings, the prosecution sought permission from the high court to re-examine 22 witnesses, arguing that their testimonies were crucial for a fair adjudication of the case.
However, the court permitted only six of them to be re-examined. Initially, the prosecution had listed 84 witnesses, of whom 69 were ultimately examined during the trial.
Public Prosecutor Narendra Singh asserted that the prosecution had successfully established the case beyond any reasonable doubt. On the other hand, Vishal Garg Narwana, the defense counsel representing Justice Yadav, argued that the CBI had falsely implicated her.
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He pointed out that the agency had previously filed a closure report in the case before later pursuing prosecution. Another defense counsel, AS Chahal, also dismissed the charges, contending that the prosecution had failed to substantiate its claims with concrete evidence.
A key testimony in the case came from Amrik Singh, a peon employed at Justice Kaur’s residence. He informed the police that on August 13, 2008, a man named Parkash Ram arrived at the house carrying a plastic bag and stated that he had “papers from Delhi” meant for Justice Kaur.
Following Justice Kaur’s instructions, Amrik Singh opened the bag and discovered a large sum of currency notes inside. Upon realising the nature of the delivery, Parkash Ram was immediately detained and handed over to the police for questioning.
Initially, the Chandigarh Police handled the investigation, but the case was later transferred to the CBI on August 26, 2008, following an order by the then UT Administrator.
The legal proceedings took a significant turn in 2014 when the CBI court formally framed charges against Justice Yadav and other accused individuals.
This development came after the Supreme Court rejected her plea seeking a stay on the trial proceedings. Now, after years of legal battles, the much-awaited verdict is expected to determine the fate of the accused and bring finality to the long-standing controversy surrounding the high-profile case.
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