Two judges caught in corruption case; sent to judicial custody

Two judges, who were suspended last month on charges of taking money to settle cases during their posting in Vapi court in 2014, have been arrested by the vigilance cell of the Gujarat High Court under Prevention of Corruption Act.
Judges--A D Acharya and P D Inamdar, who were caught on camera allegedly discussing about settlement of money to pass favourable orders, were today sent to 14 days judicial custody by a Valsad court.
According to Registrar General of the High Court B N Karia, the vigilance cell investigated the case and filed an FIR in the case of alleged corruption.

Karia said they have been produced in a Valsad court and the Vigilance Department of the High Court has also initiated process of the case.
According to sources in the High Court, the two arrested judges were kept in the Gujarat High Court building on Wednesday and were produced before a Valsad district court yesterday.
The two judges were today sent to the judicial custody in Navsari sub-jail jail by Valsad district court judge M M Mansuri after they unsuccessfully moved a bail plea before the court.

The Vigilance Cell of the High court initiated inquiry in the case on a complaint by a Vapi-based lawyer Jagat Patel who had alleged that they indulged in corruption.

According to Patel's complaint, he had fixed spy cameras in the court-rooms of both the judges which recorded their activities for three months from February to April 2014.
In the recording, they were allegedly found talking to lawyers on phone and in person about dealing and negotiating the amounts to give favourable orders.
Having received the complaint, the HC Vigilance Cell began the probe on the issue and later booked the judges under Prevention of Corruption Act and for alleged forgery of court records and passing of forged documents as genuine.
Following the probe, the HC suspended them last month. Acharya was serving as a judge at Shihor taluka in Bhavnagar district and Inamdar was posted at Jamkhambhaliya taluka court in Jamnagar district at the time of their suspension.

The two judges were suspended after the vigilance cell registered an FIR against them along with 10 others, including one stenographer B D Shrimali and one clerk B G Prajapati and eight lawyers who indulged in dealing of money to get orders in their favour.