New Delhi, May 31: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has suspended former Special Judge Rajeev Goyal of the CBI Court in Panchkula. This decision comes amid ongoing disciplinary proceedings against him.
On May 29, the High Court issued a suspension order, stating that the Chief Justice and judges exercised their powers under Article 235 of the Constitution, in conjunction with Rule 4(b) of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 2016.
The order specifies that Goyal, who is now an Additional District and Sessions Judge in Kaithal, has been suspended to initiate disciplinary action against him. During his suspension, Goyal will remain stationed in Kaithal and is prohibited from leaving his headquarters without permission from the District and Sessions Judge of Kaithal.
Furthermore, the order indicates that he will be entitled to a subsistence allowance as per the Haryana Civil Services (General) Rules, 2016.
However, the High Court’s order does not disclose the nature of the allegations against Goyal or the basis for initiating disciplinary action against him.
This development is significant as it follows serious corruption allegations against Sudhir Parmar, a suspended judge who previously served in the Panchkula CBI Court. The Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have launched high-profile investigations into these allegations.
Last week, while serving as an Additional Sessions Judge in Panchkula, Rajeev Goyal acquitted Sudhir Parmar, his nephew Ajay Parmar, and three representatives from real estate firms in a corruption case filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Sudhir Parmar was suspended in April 2023 after the ACB conducted a raid at his residence in connection with an alleged bribery case. Subsequently, the ED filed a chargesheet in 2024 related to a money laundering case connected to the alleged bribery racket. The federal anti-money laundering agency submitted its main prosecution complaint in August 2023 and a supplementary complaint against ten accused, including the suspended judge, in October 2023.
According to the ED, the investigation began with an FIR registered by the Haryana ACB, aiming to trace the money linked to the alleged bribery crime. The central agency claims that the illegal benefits received by Sudhir Parmar were transferred to his relatives’ bank accounts.
The ED alleges that Sudhir Parmar received approximately 7 crore rupees in illegal benefits from the promoters of IREO and M3M Group in exchange for favorable judicial actions. It is reported that this alleged benefit was provided through cash payments and loans transferred to his relatives’ accounts without any supporting documentation.
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