New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has come across an audio recording allegedly revealing a senior Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) officer admitting efforts to frame a judge in response to critical judicial orders against the agency. This alarming development points to serious abuse of power within the ACB, which has been accused of retaliating against court staff by registering a false FIR to target the judge.
The audio reportedly captures the ACP of the ACB explaining that the idea of framing the judge was driven by multiple orders criticizing the agency’s investigations. The officer indicated that the judge’s directives included replacing the investigating officer and stated that the judge had no personal grievance against ACB officers but suggested they should have challenged the orders through judicial remedies instead of implicating him by coercing people into giving statements and conducting illicit actions. The ACP also hinted at potential consequences if the judiciary continued passing adverse orders and claimed he was speaking out on “humanitarian grounds.”
Amid these developments, court staff have petitioned the Delhi High Court, demanding an independent probe and alleging that the FIR lodged against them was fabricated to frame the judge. Ahmad, who served in the judge’s court from September 2023 to March 2025, has claimed that ACB officials threatened him, prompting his transfer in January 2025. Following a contempt order issued against the agency on May 16, the ACB allegedly filed a false FIR against Ahmad to further implicate the judge.
The judge recently rejected Ahmad’s request for anticipatory bail but advised the ACB to proceed following proper procedures. Ahmad has filed a writ petition seeking the transfer of the case to an independent agency, and the Delhi High Court has directed the state to submit a status report by May 29.
Previously, in February, the High Court denied the ACB’s request to investigate the judge for corruption, citing lack of evidence, but permitted the agency to continue its probe with further proof. The judge was transferred to another district on May 20 via administrative order. Ahmad is demanding the FIR be nullified or transferred to the CBI, alleging that the agency has engaged in corruption, intimidation, forgery, and misuse of authority in its efforts to target both him and the judge.