PF scam: CBI indicts ex-SC judge, 23 other judges

An extensive CBI probe as found a former Supreme Court judge along with 23 other sitting and retired judges of Allahabad high court and lower courts guilty of misdemeanour.

By Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN | Jul 29, 2010, 12.53 PM IST

NEW DELHI: This is the biggest-ever indictment of the country’s judiciary. An extensive CBI probe into the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 6.58 crore from the provident fund accounts of class-III and IV employees in the Ghaziabad district court, has found a former Supreme Court judge along with 23 other sitting and retired judges of Allahabad high court and lower courts guilty of misdemeanour.

After investigating 47 judges for their alleged role in the scam, the CBI on Wednesday submitted a report to the SC, detailing the misdemeanour and acts of omission and commission of those found guilty.

Though the judges are being let off because of lack of “prosecutable evidence” , the findings of the probe could jolt those who play down the growing instance of irregularities in judiciary, saying the phenomenon is limited to lower rungs.

The report contained the name of Justice Tarun Chatterjee , who retired on January 14 this year after over five years as an SC judge.

Though the former SC judge had denied any role in the wrongdoing during the questioning done with prior permission of the then CJI, the CBI has said he had committed a “folly” which was an “indiscretion without any criminal intent” . The bench, consisting of Justices D K Jain, V S Sirpurkar and G S Singhvi, deferred a decision on the request from counsel Prashant Bhushan to make CBI’s findings public.

Attorney General G E Vahanvati told the bench that the report was also being given to Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia and Allahabad HC chief justice for taking action on the administrative side against the 24 judges, who were found to have committed acts of commission and omission but were not being proceeded against due to lack of “prosecutable evidence” .

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