Key operator Ashutosh Asthana, the treasury official who arranged fake documents and secured the authorised judge’s signatures to release the funds, recently died under mysterious circumstances.
The Supreme Court (SC) has stayed the trial of six judges, including three Allahabad high court justices, in the scam relating to the withdrawal of Rs6.58 crore from the provident fund accounts of Ghaziabad court’s subordinate staff and making it available for some judges.
Key operator Ashutosh Asthana, the treasury official who arranged fake documents and secured the authorised judge’s signatures to release the funds, recently died under mysterious circumstances in Ghaziabad’s Dasna jail. Though Asthana’s family suspected foul play, as he could have spilled the beans during the trial, CBI denied the claim.
A special bench of justices DK Jain, VS Sirpurkar and GS Singhvi expressed shock at attorney general Goolam E Vahanvati’s statement referring to a recent incident in which the Ghaziabad district judge had called on CBI officials and asked them to hand over the case diaries to the local police. Vahanvati said the incident was “extremely disturbing”.
Vahanvati sought immediate transfer of the case outside UP, preferably to Delhi, as that would be in the interest of justice. He said the case should be transferred out of UP as some of the sitting judges and trial court employees are witnesses. The judges ordered a stay on the proceedings pending before the CBI special court in Ghaziabad.
CBI has filed the charge sheet against six judges, three of whom have since been elevated to high court. Vahanvati will file details of the incident before August 4. He had said there is evidence against 24 judges, but not enough to launch criminal prosecution. However, departmental action can be initiated against them.
The agency’s report has been sent to Allahabad HC chief justice for appropriate action, Vahanvati said.
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