Cash-in-bag scam: High court issues notice on CBI appeal against acquittal of Justice Yadav, others

CHANDIGARH: Taking cognisance of an appeal filed by the CBI against the acquittal of former High Court Judge, Justice Nirmal Yadav, and three others in the infamous cash-in-bag scam, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to Justice Yadav and others, seeking their reply on the agency's appeal. In its appeal, the premier agency challenged the March 29 order through which the local court in Chandigarh acquitted Yadav, Ravinder Bhasin, Rajeev Gupta, and Nirmal Singh. Apart from Justice Yadav, the other three have also been asked to file reply on CBI's appeal. The matter has been fixed for December 15 for further hearing. In March this year, a special CBI court in Chandigarh acquitted Yadav and others after 17 years of legal battles. The case revolved around the infamous cash-in-bag scam, where Rs 15 lakh was allegedly intended for delivery to the then sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Nirmal Yadav. It previously sent shockwaves through the judiciary, leading to an in-house inquiry by the Supreme Court that found her culpable. However, in a scathing blow to the CBI, the trial court concluded that the agency miserably failed to prove the guilt of the accused, citing numerous errors in its investigation. In its 89-page verdict, the CBI court had held that there was not even a grain of evidence available on record to connect these various dots and establish a foolproof case against the accused. Virtually indicting the CBI for its failure, the special CBI Judge Chandigarh, Alka Malik, observed that these loose ends remained loose in this case and, thus, tended to prove absolutely nothing. The judge had also observed that the link evidence was totally missing in this case since the bulk of the evidence relied upon by the CBI refused to support the prosecution version and were largely declared hostile witnesses.