On Monday, the Panchkula additional session court discharged Sudhir Parmar, a former judge of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and four others from a corruption case due to insufficient evidence. The court's decision came after a detailed review of the case, which involved allegations of bribery against Parmar and associates, including real estate developers Roop Bansal, Lalit Goyal, and Anil Bhalla, as well as Parmar's nephew, Ajay Parmar. The Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against them in April 2023, citing violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy. Legal experts noted that the discharge under Section 227 of the Criminal Procedure Code indicates the judge found no substantial evidence to warrant a full trial, thus sparing the accused from the burdens of a lengthy legal process. The ACB's investigation, which lasted approximately 18 months, was initiated based on credible information, including WhatsApp chats that allegedly documented bribery demands from Parmar related to cases involving real estate firms. Despite the serious allegations, the court's ruling means that the accused are released from the charges at this stage.