rediff.com Special: A profile of the JMM bribery case judge, Ajit Bharihoke

'We need a thousand more judges like him' The Rediff Profile/ Judge Ajit Bharihoke
Josy Joseph profiles the judge who sentenced a former prime minister to prison.
After handing out a three-year jail term and a Rs 200,000 fine to former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and his home minister, Buta Singh, Judge Ajit Bharihoke retired quietly to his private chamber, attached to the specially created courtroom in the Vigyan Bhavan annexe, New Delhi. Outside, the country erupted into celebration, condemnation and introspection of his 18-page decision.
When a well-wisher walked in to congratulate him on his 'historic judgment,' the judge replied, "I have only done my job."
The reaction was typical of the man. After all, he has tried some of India's most powerful men and women for corruption and cheating.
Judge Bharihoke is admired as someone who does not bother about the fame and power of those involved in the cases before him.
The list of cases is illustrious: Bofors, the JMM MPs bribery, Sukh Ram, the Lakhubhai Pathak case and St Kitts.
"He is very upright," says Ravindra Kumar, the petitioner in the JMM bribery case. "He is uncompromising. We need a thousand more judges like him."
In the initial days, when the JMM hearing had just begun, a large number of politicians were known to stroll into the courtroom, ringing mobile phone and noisy cronies in tow. It did not take Judge Bharihoke long to restore order -- cell phones and pagers were out, the politicians were tamed and the court was in session.
A former resident of Gurgaon, Judge Bharihoke has lived in Delhi for many years now. At present, he lives with his family in the Delhi administration flats at Kailash Colony.
"He hardly interacts with us, he is a very serious person," says a government official who also lives in the colony.
In the courtroom too, he is regarded as a serious individual who does not indulge in lighthearted conversation. He believes in details and refuses to give into legalese.
Ever since he was promoted as an additional sessions judge in 1994, Judge Bharihoke has been handling some of India's most politically sensitive cases.
The St Kitts case, for example -- a public interest litigation filed against Chandra Swami and his aide Kailash Nath Aggarwal for framing former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and his son, Ajeya -- is still being heard by him.
The Lakhubhai Pathak case -- where the now deceased NRI pickle king accused Narasimha Rao and Chandra Swami of cheating him -- is in a crucial phase.
In a telling example of the importance of his duty as presiding officer of the CBI's Special Designated Court, Judge Bharihoke admitted the CBI's supplementary chargesheet against the Hindujas, even as he prepared to announce his landmark verdict in the JMM bribery case the next day.
"He has a very good reputation," says senior Supreme Court advocate and former Union law minister Shanti Bhushan.
"He is very strict about the law and very fond of the rule book," says an advocate at the Tis Hazari courts, where the designated CBI court is situated.
My only complaint," ends Kumar, "is that, while giving the sentence, he should be more severe. In the JMM case, the punishment was minimum. I think they deserved severe punishment."
The Rediff Specials
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	The Rediff Profile/ Judge Ajit Bharihoke Josy Joseph profiles the judge who sentenced a former prime minister to prison. After handing out a three-year jail term and a Rs 200,000 fine to former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and his home minister, Buta Singh, Judge Ajit Bharihoke retired quietly to his private chamber, attached to the specially created courtroom in the Vigyan Bhavan annexe, New Delhi. Outside, the country erupted into celebration, condemnation and introspection of his 18-page decision. When a well-wisher walked in to congratulate him on his 'historic judgment,' the judge replied, "I have only done my job." The reaction was typical of the man. After all, he has tried some of India's most powerful men and women for corruption and cheating. Judge Bharihoke is admired as someone who does not bother about the fame and power of those involved in the cases before him. The list of cases is illustrious: Bofors, the JMM MPs bribery, Sukh Ram, the Lakhubhai Pathak case and St Kitts. "He is very upright," says Ravindra Kumar, the petitioner in the JMM bribery case. "He is uncompromising. We need a thousand more judges like him." In the initial days, when the JMM hearing had just begun, a large number of politicians were known to stroll into the courtroom, ringing mobile phone and noisy cronies in tow. It did not take Judge Bharihoke long to restore order -- cell phones and pagers were out, the politicians were tamed and the court was in session. A former resident of Gurgaon, Judge Bharihoke has lived in Delhi for many years now. At present, he lives with his family in the Delhi administration flats at Kailash Colony. "He hardly interacts with us, he is a very serious person," says a government official who also lives in the colony. In the courtroom too, he is regarded as a serious individual who does not indulge in lighthearted conversation. He believes in details and refuses to give into legalese. Ever since he was promoted as an additional sessions judge in 1994, Judge Bharihoke has been handling some of India's most politically sensitive cases. The St Kitts case, for example -- a public interest litigation filed against Chandra Swami and his aide Kailash Nath Aggarwal for framing former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and his son, Ajeya -- is still being heard by him. The Lakhubhai Pathak case -- where the now deceased NRI pickle king accused Narasimha Rao and Chandra Swami of cheating him -- is in a crucial phase. In a telling example of the importance of his duty as presiding officer of the CBI's Special Designated Court, Judge Bharihoke admitted the CBI's supplementary chargesheet against the Hindujas, even as he prepared to announce his landmark verdict in the JMM bribery case the next day. "He has a very good reputation," says senior Supreme Court advocate and former Union law minister Shanti Bhushan. "He is very strict about the law and very fond of the rule book," says an advocate at the Tis Hazari courts, where the designated CBI court is situated. My only complaint," ends Kumar, "is that, while giving the sentence, he should be more severe. In the JMM case, the punishment was minimum. I think they deserved severe punishment." The Rediff Specials Do tell us what you think of this feature
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