In an unprecedented move, the CBI has registered a case against sitting Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Shri Narayan Shukla for his alleged involvement of accepting bribe in lieu of giving a favourable verdict for a Lucknow-based medical college.

Justice Shukla has been named as prime accused along with retired HC Judge IM Quddusi, who was earlier arrested in September 2017. After registering the latest case in its larger alleged judicial corruption probe, the CBI teams on November 6 morning raided residences of Justice Shukla in Lucknow, Justice Quddusi’s residence in Delhi and five other places and recovered several incriminating documents related to investments and financial transactions.

The CBI confirmed that a case has been registered against Justices Shukla and Quddusi. In addition, the CBI has named an alleged conduit Bhawana Pandey, Bhagwan Prasad Yadav and Palash Yadav of Prasad Education trust, another alleged middleman Sudhir Giri and the trust.

Officials familiar with the FIR said Shukla, Quddusi and others have been booked for criminal conspiracy under sections 7, 8, 12 and 13 (2) and 13 (1) of the prevention of corruption act (which deal with accepting bribery, criminal misconduct).

Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, in July this year, gave CBI permission to register an FIR against Justice Shukla after the agency informed the apex court about the irregularities. Gogoi had also written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year recommending Shukla’s removal after an in-house panel had found him guilty of judicial irregularities.