Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) KG Balakrishnan and his family have been accused of amassing wealth exceeding their declared sources, according to a number of media organisations.
The Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has been approached with the information by a Delhi-based journalist, which was awaiting the nod of the Supreme Court’s registrar general before proceeding, reported Expressbuzz citing unnamed sources.
Retired Supreme Court judge V R Krishna Iyer said that a judicial panel should take place into National Human Rights Commission chairman Balakrishnan and his family’s wealth, reported the Hindustan Times yesterday.
Reacting to a Malayalam TV channel report that Balakrishnan’s son-in-law and Youth Congress leader advocate P V Sreenijan had accumulated property worth crores of rupees which is beyond his known source of income, Iyer said the allegations were an insult to the judiciary.
According to the Indian Express a Malayalam TV channel reported that Balakrishnan’s son-in-law and Youth Congress leader advocate P V Sreenijan owned property worth crores of rupees which was beyond his known source of income:
The report had said that the affidavit on property furnished at the time of contesting elections showed that Sreenijan had not owned a single cent of land. Besides, his savings was only Rs 25,000. His wife K B Sony had only 93 cents of land and a bank balance of Rs 1.20 lakh. However, in an affidavit given to the Income Tax Department in 2008, Sreenijan had put his income at Rs 25 lakh and that of his wife at Rs 15 lakh. The report said that during the period the couple had purchased prime land and posh flats in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. The properties were registered for much lower than prevailing market rates. He had bought 2.5 acres of land in Thrissur in 2008. A resort is coming up in that riverside property.
“When Balakrishnan became the chief justice of India, I had termed it as the emergence of Balakrishnan era. Now, I realise that I was wrong. It is shame to identify me as a former judge, while hearing the allegations against several former judges. A three-member panel of judges should look into the allegation. If the charges are proved, the guilty should be punished,” commented Iyer.
Sreenijan and Balakrishnan declined to comment to various papers.
Comments
[...] these supreme court judges are corrupt KGB acted like he was next to god by declaring his assets now his real picture is out for us to see and i am sure this 3 judge panel will take 5 years to set and investigate and the outcome will obviously be that he is innocent since no one from the fraternity will try to spoil their image
A few years ago, 15 lac rupees in cash was delivered to the "wrong" HC judge in Chandigarh. To that judge's credit she at once informed the police.
The Indian judiciary, like the other organs of the state, are corrupt from top to bottom.
Most lawyers themselves are absolutely corrupt and will spare no effort to use underhand means to earn big bucks and get ahead in the profession. Senior Counsel's being caught on camera bribing a prosecution witness is just one good example of the rot.
And #4 don't confuse an exam for entry into the profession with ethics - which is pretty much non-existent in this country.
These guys know India so well, don't they?
If one were to go through the orders that are passed it is very apparent that spineless wimps who are sold out or have a price tag round their neck are signing such orders. Judiciary no longer is an independent pillar of (Indian) democracy as was taught to us in school.