Justice Nirmal Yadav acquitted in cash-at-door case: What took court 17 years to arrive at verdict?

Nirmal Yadav enrolled as a member of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1975.

After 17 years, former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nirmal Yadav and three others were acquitted in the high-profile cash-at-judge’s-door case.

A special CBI court acquitted retired Justice Yadav, Ravinder Singh Bhasin, Rajiv Gupta and Nirmal Singh. Another accused, Sanjeev Bansal, died during the trial of the case.

Justice Yadav said she had full faith in the judiciary after the verdict was announced. Vishal Garg Narwana, the defence lawyer, told Times of India that the court decision proved that the former judge was innocent and there was no proof against her in the case.

Who were the accused in the case?

Nirmal Yadav enrolled as a member of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1975. According to The Indian Express, she also taught law at the Panjab University in Chandigarh as a part-time lecturer. She was appointed in the office of Advocate General, Haryana, in 1979, and was then selected as Additional District and Sessions Judge in 1986.

In 2006, she was elevated as judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh. She was transferred to the Uttarakhand High Court where she assumed office in February 2010 and retired after a year.

Charges were also framed against four others. These were lawyer Sanjiv Bansal (who got the money delivered); Delhi businessman Ravinder Singh (who sent the amount of Rs 15 lakh); Rajiv Gupta (business partner of Sanjiv Bansal and who delivered the packet to Yadav) and and Nirmal Singh (private person). Bansal died in 2016.

What was the cash-at-judge’s-door case?

In August 2008, a packet containing Rs 15 lakh cash was delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur. However, it was alleged that the cash was meant to be delivered to the residence of Justice Nirmal Yadav, a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court at that time.

According to reports, the probe revealed the money was allegedly intended for Justice Yadav “to influence a decision related to a property deal”.

Justice Kaur informed the then HC Chief Justice and the police. An FIR was registered on August 16, 2008. Ten days later, the case was transferred to the CBI. The probe agency registered a fresh FIR on August 28.

Hurdles in the case

At first, Chandigarh police probed the matter. However, the case was handed over to the CBI within 15 days. In 2009, the probe agency filed a closure report but a CBI court rejected it and ordered a re-investigation.

In 2011, CBI filed a chargesheet naming Justice Nirmal Yadav and several others as accused.

In 2010, the then chief justice granted permission to prosecute Yadav.

After receiving approval from the President in 2011, a charge sheet was filed on March 3, 2011. In 2013, the CBI court framed charges and the trial began. However, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 impacted proceedings. According to reports, the trial saw over 300 hearings. By 2024, testimony of 76 witnesses was recorded, with 10 witnesses retracting their statements.

What did the CBI court say?

The CBI court acquitted Justice Nirmal Yadav and the other accused persons on the grounds of lack of evidence and contradictions in witness statements. A detailed judgement by Judge Alka Malik is yet to be released by the court.