ACB leaking sensitive documents to media: Bribery accused ahlmad tells Delhi High Court

The Rouse Avenue Court ahlmad (record keeper) who was recently booked on allegations that he demanded bribes to enable bail for certain accused persons told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that sensitive documents connected to the case were being leaked to the press..The submission was made before a bench of Justice Amit Sharma by Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, who appeared for the accused ahlmad Mukesh Kumar.Mathur today raised concerns that such document leaks could jeopardise the chances of a fair trial in the matter."Documents of the investigating agency, that I am not entitled to get, that are signed by the investigating officer, are being circulated in visual media. My signed transcripts are being circulated. What fairness will I get? My liberty is at stake. They have given all this material to the media. Signed by the IO. Given to channels," Mathur said..The Court allowed the ahlmad's counsel to place additional documents on record to support his claims of sensitive documents being leaked to the media.Additional Standing Counsel Sanjeev Bhandari appeared for the State and sought liberty to file a response.The Court said that the matter would be heard next on June 2..The High Court had recently transferred a Special Judge (PC Act) from the Rouse Avenue Court to Rohini after his ahlmad Mukesh Kumar was booked for bribery.The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on May 16 registered a case against Kumar on allegations that he had demanded and received bribes from certain accused to ensure their bail. Kumar has countered that he has been falsely implicated by the ACB as part of a plot by certain officials to frame the judge for passing adverse orders against them..Prior to the registration of the case against Kumar, the ACB had in January written to the Law Secretary of the Delhi government seeking permission to probe the judge to whom the ahlmad was assigned, alleging that there was material against both the judge and the court official.As per the ACB, the High Court in February responded that the investigating agency was at liberty to probe the allegations further. However, the High Court was also of the view that ACB then did not have "sufficient material" against the judge."Accordingly, presently there is no requirement to grant permission qua the said Judicial Officer. However, the investigating agency is at liberty to carry on with the investigation with respect to the complaints received by them," the High Court had written in response..After a criminal case was registered against him, Kumar moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail. He has also urged the Court to either quash the first information report (FIR) filed against him or transfer the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In an earlier hearing, Senior Advocates Mohit Mathur and Maninder Singh appeared for Kumar and submitted that the ACB officer against whom Kumar had complained in January has been made the investigating officer of the case. Further, they alleged that the ACB officer had admitted in a phone call to the judge that he was being framed on account of adverse orders.Along with Mathur and Singh, Senior Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir briefed by a team from Justum Legal including Advocates Ayush Jain, Tushar Thakur, Yashovardhan Upadhyay, Shashwat Sarin, Sanjana Nair, Janvi Narang and Anushka Khaitan appeared for the ahlmad.Additional Standing Counsel Sanjeev Bhandari along with advocates Arjit Sharma, Nikunj Bindal and Nishtha Dhall appeared for the State..Senior Advocates Mukul Gupta, Mohit Mathur, Maninder Singh and Tanveer Ahmed Mir, with advocates Ayush Jain, Tushar Thakur, Yashovardhan Upadhyay, Shahwat Sarin, Sanjana Nair, Janvi Narang and Anushka Khaitan appeared for Kumar. Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal) Sanjeev Bhandari, ASC for the State with advocates Arjit Sharma, Nikunj Bindal and Nishtha Dhall appeared for the State. Advocates Ramakant Gaur, Sneha Arya, Harish Gaur, Meenakshi Sahu, Roopini N and Sobiya Manzoor appeared for the complainant.[Read order].[Read live coverage]