The Chhattisgarh High Court denied bail to former IAS officer Anil Tuteja (IAS:2003:CG) in the 50-crore mineral scam case. Tuteja was arrested in February this year under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
It was alleged before the High Court that Tuteja misused his position in the Industry Department to manipulate the allocation of works under the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund. Tuteja was serving as Additional Secretary of the Industry Department when the alleged scam took place.
While denying bail to the retired IAS officer in the DMF scam case, Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas observed that the court has looked into the gravity of the offence, the role played by the petitioner, and the position of the petitioner to influence the witnesses as a senior officer in the department and a huge amount of public funds were pilfered by the applicant in connivance with the suppliers.
The court added that given his influential position previously, there was a strong likelihood that Tuteja might tamper with evidence, influence witnesses, and obstruct the course of investigation if released on bail.
The scam was unearthed by an ACB investigation based on the ED’s 2024 report regarding corruption in the use of DMF funds in the Kobra district, following which Tuteja was arrested for his involvement in the scam.
The High Court stated that the former IAS officer’s custody was required to elicit the truth regarding the allegations against him.
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