The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to former IAS officer Niranjan Das in matters arising out of the alleged Chhattisgarh liquor scam being investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).

Petitioner is a retired bureaucrat who served as Secretary, Excise Commissioner and held key positions linked to the state excise administration, was alleged to be part of the larger liquor syndicate investigated in connection with the alleged excise scam in Chhattisgarh. Investigating agencies have alleged that illegal commissions were generated through the manipulation of liquor distribution systems, including the alleged use of fake holograms and unlawful sale mechanisms.

Petitioner submitted that almost all co-accused in both the predicate offence and the PMLA proceedings had already been granted bail, while he alone continued to remain in custody.

It was informed the Court that in the EOW matter, 24 out of 25 arrested accused had already secured bail and Das was “the only one left.” Similarly, in the ED matter, out of nine arrested accused, eight had already been enlarged on bail.

He further argued that the investigation qua petitioner was complete and prosecution complaints had already been filed, while trial was unlikely to conclude anytime soon, considering the scale of the proceedings.

The Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi was informed that the predicate offence involved around 55 accused and nearly 1200 witnesses, while the ED case involved 81 accused, 117 witnesses and approximately 200 statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA.

Opposing the plea, the Enforcement Directorate contended that Das played a central role in the alleged syndicate. The ED submitted:

“His role was omnipresent. He was Secretary Excise, Commissioner Excise…”

The agency further alleged that the syndicate functioned under his supervision and fake holograms were used for the illegal circulation of liquor. The Bench, however, observed that continued incarceration pending trial could not be ignored, particularly when similarly placed accused had already been granted bail and the trial itself was expected to take considerable time.

The Supreme Court accordingly directed that Niranjan Das be released on bail subject to conditions imposed by the trial court.