Two judges of the lower judiciary in Gujarat, 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 the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Both the judges of the rank of Judicial Magistrate First Class -- 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 a first information report in the case of corruption.
Karia said they were 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 before their production in Valsad court on Thursday.
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 their bail plea was turned down. 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 a probe on the issue and later booked the judges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for forgery of court records and passing of forged documents as genuine.
Following the probe, the HC suspended them last month. Acharya was serving the judicial magistrate fast track court in Shihor taluka in Bhavnagar district and Inamdar was posted in Jamkhambhaliya taluka court in Jamnagar district at the time of their suspension.
The two 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 allegedly got favours in their favour through bribes.
