Police say the Mumbai judge accused in the Rs 15 lakh bribery case “played an active role” and maintained “cordial” ties with the arrested clerk. ACB seeks High Court permission to formally investigate the judge’s involvement.
Mumbai: A serious bribery case has come to light in Mumbai, where an additional sessions judge from a civil court has been named as a wanted accused for allegedly demanding money in exchange for a favourable order.
According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the judge played “an active role” in the bribery deal and shared a “cordial relationship” with the arrested court clerk involved in the case.
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Police officers said that the role of the judge must be examined in detail and that the ACB is in the process of taking permission from the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court to start formal inquiry and investigation at a senior level.
The case began when civil court clerk-cum-typist Chandrakant Vasudeo was arrested last week for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 15 lakh in return for a favourable verdict in a land dispute matter.
The additional sessions judge from the Mazgaon civil court, Aejazuddin Salauddin Kazi, has been named as the wanted accused.
According to the police, Vasudeo confessed that he collected the money on behalf of Kazi so that the judge could pass a favourable judgment in the commercial suit.
Vasudeo was sent to judicial custody on Monday by the special ACB court, after which he immediately filed a bail application.
His bail plea is scheduled for hearing on November 19. Investigators found that Judge Kazi had allegedly directed Vasudeo to demand Rs 15 lakh for himself
“for giving a favourable order in the commercial suit”.
Police said that the first approach was made inside the court’s washroom, where the clerk told the complainant’s colleague to
“do something for Saheb (the judge), and the order will be in your favour”.
Later, Vasudeo met the complainant at a café and demanded Rs 10 lakh for himself and Rs 15 lakh for the judge. When the complainant refused to pay, the clerk made a WhatsApp call to the complainant’s colleague and warned that
“if the money was not paid, the order would be against them”.
The complainant then decided to contact the ACB. On November 10, following ACB’s instructions, the complainant invited Vasudeo to meet at a café in Chembur the next day and bring the bribe money, which led to his arrest.
During the trap, ACB officers asked Vasudeo to call the judge. In the presence of witnesses, Vasudeo spoke to the “wanted accused” on the phone.
According to police, the judge “consented to the accepted bribe amount” and also told the clerk to bring the money to his home. This phone call, officials said, clearly showed that Kazi
“played an active role in the crime and he needed to be investigated”.
On November 12, an ACB team went to the judge’s residence for further investigation, but found the house locked. A house-sealing panchnama was then carried out with another judge and independent witnesses present.
Police officials added that Vasudeo had been working as a clerk at the Mazgaon civil city and sessions court for the past year, where Judge Kazi is posted.
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Both shared a “cordial relationship”. Officers also said that the judge had supported Vasudeo during his “personal and family issues”, and that they stayed in regular touch through WhatsApp.
This case has raised major questions about corruption inside the judicial system, especially because it involves a sitting judge accused of demanding money to influence a court order.
The investigation will move forward only after the Bombay High Court’s approval, while the ACB continues to gather evidence against both the clerk and the judge.
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