Delhi: CBI books suspended senior civil judge in disproportionate assets case
Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal and her lawyer husband Alok Lakhanpal are alleged to have amassed wealth 283 per cent over their known sources of income.
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During subsequent raids at the Lakhanpals’ residence the “trap money” of Rs 4 lakh was recovered. (File)The CBI has booked a disproportionate assets case against Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal, a senior civil judge of the Tis Hazari court who was suspended after she and her lawyer husband Alok Lakhanpal were arrested in a bribery case.
“Smt Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal, the then Sr Civil Judge (presently under suspension) during the period 27.07.2006 (date of joining of Ms Rachna Tiwari Lakhanpal in Delhi Judicial Services) to 28.09.2016 has accumulated huge assets in the name of her husband Sh Alok Lakhanpal, Advocate …(they) have amassed/possessed huge assets worth Rs 2,99,07,036/- (283.61 %) disproportionate to their known legal source of income, which they could not satisfactorily account for,” the CBI said in its first information report in the latest case.
The FIR stated that the couple’s assets grew from Rs 1.09 lakh on July 27, 2006, when Rachna joined the judicial services, to over Rs 3.53 crore on September 28, 2016, when the couple were arrested in the bribery case. Their incomes from known sources during the period was Rs 1.05 crore while their expenditure was Rs 51.73 lakh, the FIR added.
In 2016 the agency laid a trap and arrested a local commissioner for allegedly accepting a Rs 1-lakh bribe on behalf of the judge. During subsequent raids at the Lakhanpals’ residence the “trap money” of Rs 4 lakh was recovered.
The CBI said the raid had also led to the recovery of Rs 94,09,900 in unaccounted cash and incriminating documents related to assets and expenditures. According to agency, Rachna had concealed from the department the unaccounted cash and the actual value of their New Delhi house (R-546, New Rajinder Nagar), which amounted to Rs 1.6 crore.
“Investigation revealed that Rachna Tiwari intended to dispose of this amount (Rs 94 lakh) along with the bribe money of Rs 4 lakh by carrying [a] briefcase (containing Rs 94,09,900) in one hand and [an] orange-colour packet (containing Rs 4 lakh) in the other…,” the FIR said, adding that Rachna’s attempt to escape through the backyard of her house was foiled by the CBI.
The agency said it had found CCTV footage that revealed her alleged attempts to dispose of the cash. “Even Sh Alok Lakhanpal was actively involved [in the] acquisition of various assets in his name and in the joint name of his relatives,” CBI said.
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