A special CBI court in Chandigarh has acquitted former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge (Retd) Nirmal Yadav in the 2008 ‘cash-at-judge’s door’ case. The case involved a Rs 15 lakh cash packet that was wrongly delivered to another judge’s house. 

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What was the case?

On August 13, 2008, a clerk at Justice Nirmaljit Kaur’s house in Chandigarh received a packet containing Rs 15 lakh. It was later alleged that the money was actually meant for Justice Yadav as a bribe for a property deal. Justice Kaur reported the matter, leading to a police complaint and a CBI probe.  

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Court trial and investigation  

The case was handed over to the CBI, which filed a chargesheet in 2011 on the day of Justice Yadav’s retirement. In 2014, a special CBI court framed corruption charges against her. The trial lasted years, with 69 witnesses examined.  

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Who else was accused?

Along with Justice Yadav, four others were also accused—former Haryana Additional Advocate General Sanjiv Bansal (who passed away in 2017), Delhi hotelier Ravinder Singh, businessman Rajiv Gupta, and another person. All were acquitted.  

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Justice Yadav’s reaction  

Justice Yadav always denied the allegations. “I have faith in the judiciary. I have not committed any crime, and there is nothing incriminating found during the entire trial against me."  

Judiciary under spotlight

The verdict comes as another controversy unfolds—a large amount of burnt cash was recently found at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma. 

(With inputs from agencies)