Overview

• The Supreme Court granted bail to Anil Tuteja, citing his year-long incarceration and the need to examine over 30 witnesses and 20 accused in the ongoing trial.
• The Chhattisgarh High Court had earlier set aside a special court’s order due to the lack of required sanction under Section 197 of CrPC, a procedural safeguard for public servants.
• The Enforcement Directorate alleges the scam involved a syndicate of officials, private actors, and politicians who generated over ₹2,000 crore through bribes and unaccounted liquor sales.
• Key mechanisms of the scam included cartelisation among distillers, unauthorized sales of liquor, and bribe collection tied to liquor procurement by the state-run Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited.
• Tuteja, reportedly linked to then-Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, faces accusations of running a sophisticated corruption network, with the ED opposing his bail citing potential influence over witnesses.