New Delhi, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of pleas filed by the Chhattisgarh government challenging the grant of bail to retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja in the alleged liquor scam and custom rice milling scam cases. The court clarified that the state government could approach the High Court for cancellation of bail if Tuteja was found to have misused his liberty.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana said any alleged misuse of the concession of bail could be brought before the Chhattisgarh High Court for appropriate action.
“If there is any misuse of the concession of bail, you can approach the High Court for immediate cancellation of bail,” the CJI-led Bench observed during the proceedings.
The apex court also clarified that the observations made by the Chhattisgarh High Court while granting bail to Tuteja were limited to the consideration of his bail applications and would not influence the trial court while deciding the cases on their merits.
“The findings made by the High Court are for the limited purpose of granting bail. The trial court shall not be influenced by those observations,” the Supreme Court said.
The Bench further observed that if any instance of misuse of bail came to light, the state government would be at liberty to seek cancellation of the relief before the High Court in accordance with the law.
The Chhattisgarh government had challenged the High Court orders granting regular bail to Tuteja in both cases. The Supreme Court dismissed the special leave petitions (SLPs) while preserving the state government’s right to seek cancellation of bail in the event of any violation or misuse of the concession.
In the alleged custom rice milling scam, the Chhattisgarh High Court granted regular bail to Tuteja on January 13, 2026. The case was registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW)/Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The case concerns allegations of illegal collections from rice millers in Chhattisgarh under the guise of incentives for custom milling. The prosecution alleged that the collections were part of a wider conspiracy involving public servants and private individuals, while Tuteja denied the allegations.
While granting bail, a single-judge Bench of Justice Arvind Kumar Verma considered the period Tuteja had spent in custody, the stage of the investigation, the nature of the evidence and the possibility of a prolonged trial.
The High Court also recorded in its order that the prosecution had not obtained the requisite sanction to prosecute Tuteja, preventing the trial court from taking cognisance of the charges against him. It observed that the seriousness of the allegations alone could not justify continued incarceration, particularly when the trial was unlikely to conclude within a reasonable period.
The High Court made it clear that its observations were confined to the adjudication of the bail application and should not be treated as an opinion on the merits of the case.
Subsequently, on March 3, 2026, the High Court granted Tuteja regular bail in the alleged liquor scam case, registered by the EOW/ACB in Raipur under provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In that case, the High Court noted that Tuteja had remained in custody for more than 18 months and that the prosecution involved numerous accused, witnesses and documents, making an early conclusion of the trial unlikely.
The court said bail was being granted on the grounds of prolonged incarceration and the likelihood of delays in the investigation and trial, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the allegations.
It also expressly preserved the prosecution’s liberty to seek cancellation of bail if Tuteja breached any of the conditions imposed on him.
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