The Madras High Court denies a petition for a CBI investigation in an ED officer’s corruption case

In relation to the arrest of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Anikt Tiwari, the Madras High Court on Friday maintained the jurisdiction of Tamil Nadu’s anti-corruption branch, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC).

Justices M. Sundar and R. Sakthivel, who make up the Madurai bench of the high court, denied a public interest lawsuit that counsel J. Vivek of Madurai filed, requesting that the matter be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

After Tiwari was detained by the DVAC on December 1 for allegedly threatening and taking a ₹20 lakh bribe, they raided the Madurai sub-zonal office of the ED. The state argued during the hearing that the matter falls under the Prevention of Corruption Act and is thus a cognizable offense.

Tiwari will be under the DVAC’s care until December 28. On December 5, the Dindigul Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) refused him bail, citing the seriousness of the crime and the preliminary nature of the inquiry. The officer challenged the modifications made against him as “baseless and malicious” and went to the Madras High Court to get release.

According to those acquainted with the situation, Tiwari was apprehended right away after accepting a ₹20 lakh bribe from Dr. T Suresh Babu, a government doctor in the Dindigul district, in return for dropping a complaint against him. Tiwari claimed that there were “no pending cases against the government doctor thus nullifying any grounds for demanding a bribe” in his bail plea. On Friday, Judge V Sivagnanam gave the Tamil Nadu government and the DVAC till December 19 to reply to Tiwari’s bail request.

According to the FIR filed by DVAC on November 30, the doctor had tipped off the DVAC on November 29 after Tiwari claimed to have received orders from the Prime Minister’s office to look into him and had requested ₹3 crore to seal the investigation. The individuals cited above said that they ultimately bargained to settle for ₹ 51 lakh. According to the sources, the doctor paid the first installment of ₹20 lakh in his vehicle on December 1 as per the agreement, and the transaction was captured on video. After that, Tiwari was apprehended by the DVAC close to the Dindigul-Madurai expressway.

The ED has accused the DVAC of criminal “trespass, stealing and taking copies of sensitive documents which could jeopardize the investigation,” as well as of allowing unauthorized personnel into their office and conducting an unlawful search, in a complaint to the Tamil Nadu police.