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Ex-CJI's family amassed crores: report

CNN-IBN
Updated Mar 04, 2011 at 02:40pm IST

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New Delhi: CNN-IBN has accessed a confidential Kerala Police inquiry report which says that KG Balakrishnan's family amassed crores between 2004 and 2009, when he was the chief justice of India.

The report says that Balakrishnan's close relatives amassed assets worth crores in property, commercial buildings between 2004 and 2009. It has been forwarded to Additional Chief Secretary, Home.

CNN-IBN has learnt that Balakrishnan's daughter KB Soni and her husband PV Srinijin own over Rs 40 lakh worth property in Kochi. Another daughter KB Rani and her husband MJ Benny together own over Rs 1 crore worth of property in Kochi. His nephew Abhilash T Chandran is the owner of a jewellery shop in Kottayam, a hotel in Palakkad and four cars including two Mercedez Benz and two Skoda.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to hear a PIL filed against Balakrishnan. The petition, filed by a Delhi-based advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, seeks a judicial inquiry into allegations of disproportionate assets against his family and their alleged involvement in dubious land deals.

The petitioner also wants Balakrishnan's removal as the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission.

The PIL claims that when Balakrishnan was the chief justice of India his daughter Sony and son-in-law Srinijin acquired assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

Sharma demanded judicial probe into alleged amassing of wealth by Srinijin quoting media reports that he had only declared assets worth only Rs 25,000 in 2006 while contesting an Assembly election from Njarackal in Kerala.

But later on, during the Balakrishnan's tenure as the CJI, Srinijin went on to acquire property worth several crores of rupees, said Sharma.

In support of his demand, Sharma also quoted former Supreme Court judge, Justice VR Krishna Iyer's statement to media, seeking a judicial probe into the alleged amassing of wealth by Srinijin.

(source:IBNlive)

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Cash-at-door: CBI charges Justice Nirmal Yadav

Press Trust Of India
Posted on Mar 04, 2011 at 02:35pm IST

Chandigarh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a chargesheet against Justice Nirmal Yadav and four others in the 2008 cash-at-judge's-door scam, on a day when she is to demit office as a High Court judge.

The chargesheet was filed in the court of Special CBI Judge Ritu Tagore in Chandigarh under various sections, including 120-B of the IPC relating to conspiracy and sections 11 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The Special CBI court posted the matter for April 6 after the CBI filed the 25-page charge sheet against Justice Yadav, who is to demit office as a judge of the Uttarakhand High Court.

At the time of the scam, she was the judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The others named in the chargesheet are advocate Sanjiv Bansal, Delhi businessman Ravinder Singh, Nirmal Singh and Rajiv.

The case had rocked the Punjab and Haryana High Court after Rs 15 lakh was wrongly delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, another judge of the High Court in Chandigarh, on August 13, 2008 following which she reported the matter to the Chandigarh Police. The money was said to have been delivered there due to confusion over names.

The charge sheet against Justice Nirmal has been filed after President Pratibha Patil gave clearance for her prosecution.

The other charges against Justice Nirmal include creation of false evidence and destruction of evidence.

The CBI also attached the three-page sanction letter issued by the President with the charge sheet.

Since the CBI got the sanction only recently, the prosecuting agency said that it would soon file the documents related with the case.

The money was allegedly delivered by Parkash Ram, a clerk of Sanjiv Bansal, who was a former Advocate General of Haryana.

Justice Nirmal had denied the allegation that the money was meant for her and proceeded on leave after the case surfaced. Later she was transferred as a judge of the Uttarakhand High Court.

(IBNlive)

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