Four others have been charge sheeted in the case. Justice Yadav was a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court at the time the scam rocked the higher judiciary. The retired judge has been charged under sections 11 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, conspiracy, destruction of evidence and preparing false evidence.
The charge sheet was filed before the court of special CBI judge Ritu Tagore in Chandigarh on Friday. April 6 has been posted as the next date of hearing in the case.
The CBI has named former additional advocate general Sanjiv Bansal, Delhi-based hotelier Ravinder Singh, Nirmal Singh and property dealer Rajiv Gupta in the charge sheet as the accused. The CBI had been waiting for prosecution sanction to proceed in the case since the last six months, however, President Pratibha Patel accorded sanction this week clearing way for the prosecution of Justice Yadav.
The case hit the headlines after the recovery of a mysterious bag containing Rs 15 lakh at the door of a Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nirmaljit Kaur on August 13, 2008. She complained to the police about the bag and got a case registered. The Chandigarh police arrested three persons — the then Haryana additional advocate general Sanjeev Bansal, property dealer Rajiv Gupta and hotelier Ravinder Singh —following the complaint. Bansal and Gupta then told the police that the money was meant for another high court judge, Nirmal Yadav.
The case against Justice Yadav was close in December 2009 on the grounds of denial of prosecution sanction.