Rare Anti-Graft Move: Sanction Sought to Prosecute Mumbai Judge
Public Lokpal
August 26, 2026
Rare Anti-Graft Move: Sanction Sought to Prosecute Mumbai Judge
In a rare move, Maharashtra’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has sought official sanction to prosecute a Mumbai Additional Sessions Judge, marking the first such action against a sessions judge in a decade.
The case stems from a November 2025 bribery trap where a court clerk was arrested for allegedly accepting ₹15 lakh out of a ₹25 lakh demand meant "for sir" to secure a favorable order in a civil dispute.
ACB investigators recorded a incriminating WhatsApp call where the judge allegedly acknowledged the money and instructed the clerk to bring it home. Forensic voice sample analyses subsequently matched the recordings.
Currently suspended, the judge faces formal prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ACB has forwarded its sanction request to the competent authority via the Law and Judiciary Department, paving the way for a chargesheet once approval is granted.