Punjab and Haryana HC seeks report on judge suspended for Rs 40 lakh bribe

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed its registrar general to submit a report explaining why no final decision had been taken against judicial officer Hemant Gopal who had allegedly taken a bribe of Rs 40 lakh to let off an accused in the FCI rice embezzlement scam in 2013. Gopal was indicted in an inquiry report dated March 31, 2018 and is under suspension since.
Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan has passed the orders seeking status report while hearing an application filed by former Punjab MLA Mangat Rai Bansal for staying the operation of his conviction in the same scam. He was convicted on April 20, 2013, by special CBI court at Patiala. At the time, Punjab judicial services officer Gopal was presiding officer of the CBI court that convicted Rai.
In his plea seeking stay on his conviction, Rai contended that additional district & sessions judge-cum-special judge, CBI, Patiala (currently under suspension), Hemant Gopal, who had convicted him, was found guilty of grave misconduct by the enquiry officer-cum-district & sessions judge at Panchkula, vide enquiry report dated March 31, 2018. Rai’s counsel further argued that it was an established fact that Gopal, as CBI special court judge, had accepted illegal gratification of Rs 40 lakh from co-accused Parminder and had demanded Rs 1 crore from him and others. “Singh was acquitted because he had paid the illegal gratification of Rs 40 lakh, whereas the applicant-appellant and other accused were convicted as they did not pay any amount to him,” counsel representing the former MLA argued, while seeking stay on his conviction.
After hearing the plea, the HC issued notice to CBI to file reply on the contention raised by Rai and asked the registrar general of the HC regarding the action taken against the former CBI judge after his indictment in the inquiry report.
Rai was convicted and sentenced to seven year imprisonment in the paddy scam in which the CBI had registered a case on the directions of the HC.