Court staff 'absconds', judge transferred, ACB accused of retaliation

What began as a routine GST fraud probe and arrest in August last year has exploded into a high-stake standoff between Delhi's judiciary and its Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), with allegations of bail-for-bribe" deals, retaliation against a judge, and fabrication of evidence flying thick and fast.

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At the centre of the issue is Mukesh Kumar, an ahlmad (record keeper) formerly posted at a Special Court at Rouse Avenue at courtroom number 608, who now faces serious corruption charges.

Kumar, in turn, has accused ACB officers of orchestrating a vendetta campaign to target a presiding judge critical of their investigations.

This development comes just days after a controversy rocked the national capital involving Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court. On March 14, a fire broke out at his Lutyens' Delhi residence, where a huge stash of burnt cash was reportedly discovered in a storeroom near the servants' quarters. After a Supreme Court-appointed committee submitted its report in the matter, the court withdrew all judicial work from Justice Varma, later transferring him to the Allahabad High Court and directing that no judicial assignments be given to him.

In the present case, Mukesh Kumar, who has now "absconding", as per ACB officials, is accused of demanding and receiving large sums on behalf of the court in exchange for bail to multiple accused in a Rs 54-crore GST refund scam.

Earlier, Kumar wrote to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleging a deep-rooted conspiracy by senior ACB officers to coerce court staff, manipulate case files, and target a presiding judge through what he describes as a "manufactured FIR".

On May 16, the ACB registered FIR No. 33/2025 under Sections 7, 13, and 8(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 308(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR alleged that Mukesh Kumar, acting from within the Special Court, demanded bribes from multiple accused to facilitate bail in FIR No. 05/2023, a corruption case involving over 500 fake companies and Rs 700 crore in fraudulent invoices.