1 week ago
ACB Seeks Sanction to Prosecute Suspended Mumbai Judge
The Anti-Corruption Bureau investigates suspected bribery by public officials.
It says a court clerk asked for money to help someone receive a favourable order in a civil dispute.
The clerk allegedly said that Rs 15 lakh was meant for the judge.
Investigators say the clerk was caught accepting that money on November 11, 2025.
The judge was not arrested but is suspended.
The agency says a recorded conversation between the clerk and judge was confirmed through voice testing.
The agency has asked for official permission to prosecute the judge.
This permission is required before a court can formally consider charges against a public servant.
The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau has sought permission to prosecute a suspended additional sessions judge in Mumbai.
The judge was named in a November 2025 FIR after clerk-cum-typist Chandrakant Vasudev allegedly accepted Rs 15 lakh for a favourable civil-case order.
The ACB alleges Vasudev initially demanded Rs 25 lakh, including Rs 15 lakh intended for the judge.
Investigators say a recorded WhatsApp conversation was confirmed by forensic analysis and matched the judge’s voice.
A chargesheet cannot be filed until the Law and Judiciary Department’s request receives approval from the competent authority.
- Who
- The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau, a suspended additional sessions judge, and court clerk-cum-typist Chandrakant Vasudev.
- What
- The ACB has sought prosecution sanction against the judge in a bribery case involving an alleged Rs 15 lakh payment.
- Where
- The case concerns the Mumbai City Civil and Sessions Court, with alleged meetings in Mazgaon and Chembur and an alleged call involving the judge’s residence in Uran.
- When
- The FIR was registered in November 2025, the alleged bribe trap took place on November 11, 2025, and the sanction request was sent in July; the report is dated August 26, with its year not specified.
- Why
- The ACB alleges that the clerk demanded and accepted money on the judge’s behalf, and it needs prior sanction under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act before filing a chargesheet.
ACB Allegations
Response and Legal Safeguards
Judge’s alleged involvement
ACB Allegations
The ACB alleges that the clerk demanded and accepted the money on behalf of the judge, and that the judge acknowledged receipt during a recorded call.
Response and Legal Safeguards
The judge was not arrested. The articles do not report a public response from him, while the clerk allegedly told investigators that his frequent calls with the judge related to their cordial relationship and the judge’s help with personal matters.
Evidence for prosecution
ACB Allegations
The ACB says forensic analysis confirmed the conversation and matched the judge’s voice, providing grounds to seek prosecution sanction.
Response and Legal Safeguards
The sanction process is a statutory safeguard intended to protect public servants from false or frivolous complaints, and the chargesheet cannot be filed until approval is granted.
Status of proceedings
ACB Allegations
The ACB says it gathered concrete evidence and completed a thorough investigation before requesting sanction.
Response and Legal Safeguards
A departmental inquiry against the judge had not yet been initiated, and the sanction request remained under consideration by the competent authority.
Key facts
- Investigating agency
- Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau
- Judge’s status
- Suspended and not arrested in the case
- Alleged bribe
- Rs 15 lakh, allegedly accepted by clerk Chandrakant Vasudev
- Initial demand
- Rs 25 lakh, allegedly comprising Rs 10 lakh for the clerk and Rs 15 lakh for the judge
- Trap date
- November 11, 2025
- Evidence cited
- A recorded WhatsApp conversation and forensic voice analysis
- Prosecution requirement
- Prior sanction under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act
- Clerk’s status
- Chandrakant Vasudev was granted bail in December 2025
Quotes
A senior ACB officer
An unnamed senior officer of the Anti-Corruption Bureau explaining the evidence and sanction request.
“In this case, forensic analysis of the conversation between the arrested accused and the judge was necessary to establish his role, as he was not arrested red-handed accepting the bribe. After a report from the State Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed the conversation and matched the voice sample, we decided to seek prosecution sanction from the concerned department.”
indianexpress.com
“It is our procedure to collect concrete evidence before sending a request for prosecution sanction. As this case involved a member of the judiciary, we wanted to complete a thorough probe before seeking sanction.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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