Tuteja-Shukla bail case: Supreme Court will investigate the allegations against the High Court judge

New Delhi. The Supreme Court has decided to investigate the serious allegations made against the High Court judge by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Chhattisgarh Government. In this case, it is alleged that IAS Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla, accused in the Civil Supplies Corporation scam, influenced the High Court judge to get anticipatory bail.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices AS Oka and AG Masih sought some evidence in these cases from Additional Solicitor General SV Raju. The bench wanted to know whether these bail officers misused the bail and tampered with the evidence and whether they influenced the judge. On this, Additional Solicitor General Raju said that the ED had presented the evidence in a sealed envelope, but the court is not getting it yet. He offered to re-file the evidence.

During this, Additional Solicitor General Raju said, ‘Such termites cannot be allowed to weaken the judicial system.’ Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the Chhattisgarh government, said the state has included details of WhatsApp chats in the affidavits as evidence of nexus between former bureaucrats, the then advocate general and the judge. Mahesh Jethmalani also said that the then Advocate General was involved in fraud and helped in granting bail.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the accused, argued that the Chhattisgarh government has nothing to do in this case, as the dispute is only between the accused and the ED. Rohatgi argued that these affidavits are meaningless in the context of the ongoing process in the court, especially when the ED is trying to move the trial of the case out of the state.

Fixing the case for further hearing on November 8, the bench said it should examine the evidence presented by the ED and the state government on the alleged nexus between the accused, the former AG and the judge. The bench clarified, we will investigate it thoroughly as the allegations raise questions on the judicial system.