New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to retired Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja in connection with a corruption case involving alleged irregularities in the district mineral trust.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalia Bagchi took note of the fact that the former bureaucrat has been in jail since January 24, 2024 in various corruption cases.
The CJI-led bench took note of the submissions of senior advocate Shoaib Alam, appearing for Tuteja, that the former IAS officer was arrested in the DMF case on February 23, 2026.
“The accused was arrested on April 21, 2024 and is in custody. The other accused have already been released on bail. The judiciary is seeking to question about 85 witnesses against the petitioner. The conclusion of the trial is likely to take some time,” the bench said.
“Although the allegations against the petitioner are serious, this will be a matter of trial. This matter is at the stage where the prosecution witnesses will be cross-examined. Taking into consideration the period he has spent in custody and the fact that the conclusion of the trial is likely to take some time, we deem it appropriate to grant bail to the petitioner,” the court said.
Tuteja is accused of receiving huge bribes in awarding contracts under DMF during his tenure as joint director in the state industries department.
Alam said that he was released on bail in six other corruption cases, and the Dubai Financial Market case is the last in which he is in prison, and he is granted the same bail, taking into account that he is retired and cannot do much to influence the trial and witnesses.
While granting bail, the court imposed strict conditions and ordered the former officer to stay out of Chhattisgarh.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General of Chhattisgarh, Ravi Sharma, strongly opposed the bail application.
Sharma produced the alleged 2019 WhatsApp chats of Tuteja and said his role was the “key conspirator” in several government scams.
“Please watch his conversations… He is discussing his release in the NAN scam case during the trial. In this case, the witnesses have turned hostile,” Sharma said.
It is learned that these allegations are not related to the current DMF case.
The ICJ said: “These statements date back to 2019. What is their relevance here? He was speaking with the Public Protector and so on… We cannot comment on this. It is a matter of trial.”
In granting relief, the court said that although the accusations against Tuteja were “serious”, they must be proven at trial.
The court noted that several defendants involved in the case have already been released on bail, and approximately 85 witnesses will be questioned in the case.
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