Supreme Court Grants Bail To Chhattisgarh's Ex-IAS Officer Anil Tuteja In Corruption Case Over DMF Scam

The Supreme Court today granted bail to Chhattisgarh's ex-IAS officer Anil Tuteja in a corruption case over the District Mineral Fund scam.A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the order, observing that Tuteja was in custody since April 2024 and conclusion of trial in the present case was likely to take time.Notably, the ex-IAS officer was arrested in the present case on 23.02.2026, but was in custody (due to other cases) since 21.04.2024. The State vehemently opposed the grant of bail to him highlighting that he was the prime conspirator of all scams in the State, including the Liquor Scam, the NAN scam, the DMF scam, etc., as well as had a "history" of turning witnesses hostile, tampering with evidence and circumventing judicial processes.The State referred to certain WhatsApp messages allegedly sent by Tuteja to a former Law Officer of the state, attempting to secure bail for himself and a co-accused in relation to the NAN scam. Tuteja's counsels however highlighted that all these allegations had been considered and bail granted to Tuteja by the Supreme Court in another case.Keeping in view the State's apprehensions, the top Court imposed certain conditions on Tuteja while granting bail, including that he shall reside outside Chhattisgarh and share his address details with the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the jurisdictional PS within 1 week of his release.The order was dictated thus:"The State has placed reliance on some WhatsApp messages of 2019 to highlight the gravity of the offense. Ld. Sr. Counsel for the petitioner submits that co-accused have already been released on bail and 85 witnesses are sought to be examined. Conclusion of trial will thus take time.It is true that there are serious allegations against petitioner, but that will be subject matter of trial. We deem it appropriate to release the petitioner on bail without expressing anything on merits. Ordered accordingly. Bail bonds to be furnished to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional court.As the petitioner has held affluent position in the state and there is serious apprehension of his influencing witnesses and/or tampering with evidence, the petitioner shall stay outside Chhattisgarh. Within 1 week of release, he shall furnish details of stay alongwith contact number to the ACB and the jurisdictional PS. He shall appear before courts concerned on each date, unless granted exemption."The order added that Tuteja shall not attempt to directly/indirectly influence witnesses or tamper with the evidence.As per the prosecution case, Tuteja was serving as an IAS officer between 2019-22 and posted as an Additional Secretary in the Industry Department, Government of Chhattisgarh. He was involved in multiple large scale financial irregularities, including the Rice Milling Scam, DMF scam, Coal Scam, Liquor Scam, etc. In connection with the DMF scam, he played a key role as influencer and coordinator, misusing his official position to manipulate allocation and execution of works under the DMF fund.Appearance: Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam (for Tuteja); AAG Ravi Sharma (for Chhattisgarh)Case Title: ANIL TUTEJA Versus STATE OF CHHATTISGARH, SLP(Crl) No. 7878/2026Click Here To Read/Download Order

Supreme Court Grants Bail To Chhattisgarh's Ex-IAS Officer Anil Tuteja In Corruption Case Over DMF Scam

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Supreme Court Grants Bail To Chhattisgarh's Ex-IAS Officer Anil Tuteja In Corruption Case Over DMF Scam

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