Supreme Court grants bail to Anil Tuteja in Chhattisgarh mineral case

The Supreme Court allowed bail to former Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja in a corruption case involving the alleged influencing of multi-crore civil works contracts with the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) bringing loss to the public exchequer.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed Mr. Tuteja to stay outside Chhattisgarh in order to avoid influencing witnesses in the case. He has to provide his new address in a week and attend court hearing on each and every date of hearing.

The court recorded the State’s objection to the grant of bail to Mr. Tuteja on the ground that he was a “habitual offender”, and involved in several “scams” concerning liquor, coal, betting, etc.

“He has a hand in all the scams,” the State’s Additional Advocate General Ravi Sharma submitted.

Senior advocate Shoeb Alam, for Mr. Tuteja, submitted that his client had spent the past two-and-a-half years in jail as an undertrial. There were 85 witnesses arraigned in the case, and nine accused were awaiting trial.

Mr. Alam said Mr. Tuteja was a Joint Secretary in the Department of Industry, and the contracts and civil works were issued by the District Collectors concerned. His client had neither a role nor involved in the issue.

The senior advocate said the State had made a statement in court that /Mr. Tuteja was the “kingpin” in the case in September 2024, but had only proceeded to arrest him in February 2026.

He said there had been an “evergreening of offences” against him in which a new FIR would be registered against Tuteja by the time he got bail in an earlier one.

“I am retired. Put me out of the State of Chhattisgarh. I want to be with my family,” Mr. Alam submitted on behalf of his client.