A special court in Tamil Nadu recently dismissed the statutory bail application filed by Ankit Tiwari, an officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) who was arrested in December last year by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) following allegations of bribery.In an order passed on February 6, J Mohana ML, Special Judge for Prevention of Corruption Case, Dindigul, rejected Tiwari’s application seeking statutory bail.The special judge accepted the DVAC’s argument that Tiwari was not eligible for statutory bail despite the fact that the probe agency had been unable to file a chargesheet in the case so far.The judge said that such delay in completing its investigation and filing of chargesheet occurred because the Supreme Court had temporarily stayed the investigation in the case on January 25 when the DVAC was 55 days into its probe“Considering the arguments on both side, the statutory bail u/s.167(2) Cr.P.C. would be applicable only if the sixty days period from the date of arrest had gone without any reasonable cause After the 55th day the respondent is restraint by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India from going for further investigation. Hence, the further proceedings is stalled. Hence, the reason and argument on the side of respondent Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Dindigul seemed to this court is valid. Hence, this petition by the petitioner is dismissed,” the Dindigul Court said in its order.Tiwari was arrested by the DVAC after allegedly having been caught accepting a bribe of ₹20 lakh.This is the second instance of bail being denied to Tiwari. A TN court as well as the Madras High Court had dismissed his bail plea earlier in December 2023.Meanwhile, the ED had approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the probe into the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation.The Supreme Court had issued notice on that plea on January 25 and also stayed the probe by DVAC.
TAGS: Ankit Tiwari Enforcement Directorate (ED) Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC)
