Ex-Punjab HC judge, 3 others acquitted in 2008 bribery case

17 yrs later, favourable order for Justice Yadav

- Brijender Gaur

CHANDIGARH: A special CBI court on Saturday acquitted retired judge Justice Nirmal Yadav in an alleged corruption case that came to light in 2008 when a packet containing ₹15 lakh in cash, purportedly meant for her, was delivered at the residence of another judge with a similar name in Chandigarh.

Justice Yadav, then sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, was first booked under charges of corruption by Chandigarh police on August 13, 2008. A packet containing ₹15 lakh in cash was mistakenly delivered at the Sector 11 residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, also a judge at the high court. She complained to the police, who registered an FIR and said the cash was actually meant for Justice Yadav.

"All accused are acquitted," said special CBI judge Alka Malik during the hearing on Saturday. The grounds of acquittal were not immediately available since a copy of the full order was not released at the time of going to print.