Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel weakened cash laundering case in opposition to two IAS officers accused in PDS rip-off, threatened witnesses: ED to SC

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a high regulation officer weakened the case in opposition to Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla, senior IAS officers accused of cash laundering in a multi-crore PDS rip-off case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) instructed Supreme Court this week.
Challenging the High Court order, the probe company submitted within the apex courtroom that message conversations discovered within the cellphones impounded by the Income Tax Department revealed surprising particulars of the connivance of successive chiefs of the prosecuting company particularly EOW-ACB, Chhattisgarh, one very senior regulation officer within the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Members of the SIT, and the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh in weakening the case in opposition to fundamental accused Anil Kumar Tuteja and Alok Shukla (senior IAS officers going through prison prosecution in Scheduled Offences of corruption).
Vakalatnama
The ED stated the case in opposition to the 2 IAS officers was enfeebled “by procuring favourable reports from the said prosecuting agency and SIT and by actively influencing and threatening witnesses of the predicate offences as well as the offence of money laundering.”
It additional submitted to the highest courtroom that the transcript of messages distinctly uncovers the character of the misuse of energy within the State of Chattisgarh, fidgeting with the proof and manipulation of witnesses, involving some constitutional functionaries as well.
In paragraph 10 of the submission, the ED particularly mentions that even the Chief Minister of Chattisgarh connived to weaken the case in opposition to the accused.
The submission says, “It is submitted that the message conversation found in the mobile phone seized by the Income Tax Department shockingly revealed both the main accused namely Anil Kumar Tuteja and Alok Shukla (Both senior IAS officers facing criminal prosecution in Scheduled Offences of corruption), in connivance with successive Chiefs of the prosecuting agency name EOW-ACB, Chhattisgarh, one very senior law officer in the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Members of the SIT and with the intervention of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Chhatisgarh, have weakened the offence of corruption against them”.
Essentially, the submission says that the CM of the state, who belongs to Congress, together with a regulation officer of HC and different officers from the Economic Offence Wing and the SIT actively influenced and threatened witnesses to make sure that the accused IAS officers don’t get prosecuted for cash laundering. The Chief Minister referred, on this case, is Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel.
Vakalatnama
The ED demanded cancellation of anticipatory bail accorded to the 2 IAS officers and stated the Chhattisgarh High Court didn’t contemplate the restoration of greater than Rs 3 crore in money within the raid carried out by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Economic offences Wing on State Public Distribution Corporation, Raipur.
“It is submitted that the High Court failed to examine and scrutinize the material placed before it and failed to consider that a prima facie case is made out against the Respondents herein. The charge-sheet, including the supplementary charge sheet, is replete with material evidence substantiating the role played by the instant Respondents in their wide-scale scam of furthering corrupt practices for their own vested interests,” the company instructed the highest courtroom.
Chhattisgarh HC grants anticipatory bail to 2 IAS officers accused in PDS rip-off case
On August 14, 2020, the Chhattisgarh High Court had granted anticipatory bail to 2 IAS officers accused within the PDS rip-off case.
The PDS rip-off case got here to gentle in February 2015 after the Economic Offences Investigation (EOI) and Anti-corruption Bureau, Raipur, Chhattisgarh carried out raids in several district workplaces and residences of the officers of Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation and Chhattisgarh State Warehousing Corporation together with its headquarter at Raipur. A case was registered in opposition to the officers of the company.
The ED took cognisance of the matter and registered a cash laundering case in reference to the rip-off in opposition to two IAS officers.