Why no action against judicial officer indicted in probe, HC asks registrar

PATIALA : The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday issued a notice to its registrar-general to file a status report on why no decision has been taken against suspended additional sessions judge Hemant Gopal on the basis of an inquiry report dated March 31, 2018.

Gopal is under suspension since 2013 after former MLA Mangat Rai Bansal produced a video CD as proof of a gratification racket involving the said judicial officer, who was then posted as a judge in the special CBI court, Mohali. Gopal was indicted in the preliminary inquiry and later in the final inquiry, but despite the report submitted three-and-half years ago, the high court has not taken any action. Petitioner Bansal’s counsel submitted that in pursuance of inquiry report, Punjab law officer Sushil Kumar, who had acted as middleman and collected the bribe money, has since been dismissed from service, however, the high court has not taken a decision against Gopal.

Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan issued the notice to the registrar general of the high court and CBI.

“The registrar general of this court is directed to submit a status report as to why no final decision has been taken against the said officer on the basis of the inquiry report dated 31.03.2018,” reads the order of Justice Sangwan, who was apprised by advocate Vishal Nawarna, appearing for the petitioner. The bribery case against the judge pertained to allegations by one of the accused in a paddy embezzlement case that law officer Singla ‘struck a deal’ on behalf of additional district sessions judge Gopal. Also an accused in the paddy embezzlement case, Bansal circulated a video CD showing Singla collecting ₹40 lakh as bribe from another accused, Parminder Singh, allegedly on behalf of Gopal on April 17, 2013.

In the embezzlement case itself, Bansal and 23 other rice millers were accused of paddy embezzlement and causing a loss of ₹1.8 crore to the exchequer. The CBI registered a case in 1999 and the trial was completed in 2013. Pronouncing the judgment, CBI judge Hemant Gopal had convicted 22 people and acquitted Parminder and one Bachni Devi.

The court has fixed August 24 as the next date of hearing.