Former judge gets 3 years jail term for taking bribe 26 years ago

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A former judge was sentenced to three years in jail on Saturday for taking Rs 2000 as bribe 26 years ago, with the court saying that a judge's ethical firmness is the need of the hour for society as people's confidence in judiciary is getting shattered by the day.

74-year-old former judge Gulab Tulsiyani was handed down the jail term by Special CBI Judge V.K. Maheshwari who held him guilty of demanding and accepting illegal gratification for disposal of a factory challan case in 1986 during his tenure as a metropolitan magistrate at a Patiala House court here.

The court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the former metropolitan magistrate, however, suspended his sentence till May 28 after the convict expressed his wish to go in appeal against his conviction and sentencing.

While releasing him on an interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one surety of same amount, the court asked Tulsiyani to appear before it on May 29.

"Judicial office is an office of public trust, therefore high integrity, honesty, ethical firmness is the requirement of society from the judge.''

''A judge's conduct is expected to be judged by standards higher than that expected from any other public servant.''

"The confidence in judiciary is getting shattered day by day. Today judiciary is suffering from self-inflicted wounds. Judiciary must take utmost care to see that the temple of justice does not crack from inside, which will lead to a catastrophe in the justice delivery system resulting in the failure of public confidence in the system."

The special judge also said in order to keep the 'stream of justice clean and pure', a judge must be endowed with 'sterling character, unimpeachable integrity and upright behaviour'.