Prime accused in cash-at-judge's door case surrenders

CHANDIGARH: Absconding Delhi-based businessman Ravinder Singh Bhasin, the prime accused in the 'cash-at-judge's door' scam, surrendered before a CBI court here on Friday.
    
Accompanied by lawyers, Bhasin -- against whom the court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant on September 1 -- surrendered in the court of Special CBI Judge Jagdeep Jain, police said.
    
The scandal surfaced when former Haryana Additional Advocate General Sanjiv Bansal's clerk was arrested after he delivered Rs 15 lakh at a judge's residence on August 13.
    
Bansal, his clerk Parkash Ram, homeguard jawan Nirmal Singh and property dealer Rajiv Gupta are already in judicial custody. After Ram's arrest Bansal had surrendered before police on August 20.
    
The Chandigarh administration, last month, had referred the case to the CBI on the ground that it may have inter-state ramifications.
    
Besides, the Supreme Court had suo motu set up a separate three-member panel to conduct an internal investigation in the case as it involved a law officer.
    
In 1990, the Punjab Police had booked Bhasin in a case of smuggling gold. But he was given a clean chit by a court.
    
Besides a hotel, he owns two houses at Patel Nagar Rajender Nagar in New Delhi, police said.