In the wake of the ‘Cash Scandal’, another serious claim has emerged against the Indian judiciary. Shard Kumar Sharma, a sitting Justice of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), alleged that a High Court judge reached out to him requesting a ruling that would benefit a specific resident. He has not revealed the judge’s identity. Subsequent to this contact, Justice Sharma says he stepped aside from the hearing in question. That judge is reportedly among the highest‑ranking judges in the High Court. Sources say the Supreme Court has tasked an inquiry into these accusations.
The Supreme Court’s Secretary General is set to conduct the probe, attempting to determine which High Court judge made the approach. The Justice has refrained from naming the individual.
The incident referred to as the ‘Cash Scandal’ involves Justice Yeshwant Verma. On the night of Holi last March, a fire erupted in Verma’s official residence. Both the judge and his wife were absent, prompting a massive emergency response from fire and police teams. During the firefighting, officers uncovered a disproportionately large stack of currency notes in the premises, reportedly filling the entire room.
To scrutinise the incident, the Chief Justice formed an investigative panel of three judges: Shil Nag, Chief Judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court; G. S. Sandhawalia, Chief Judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Shivaram of the Karnataka High Court.