The Supreme Court has granted bail to retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja in the District Mineral Fund (DMF) corruption case, while directing him to stay out of Chhattisgarh during the trial proceedings.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to retired Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer Anil Tuteja in connection with the District Mineral Fund (DMF) corruption case, while imposing strict conditions that he must remain outside the state of Chhattisgarh during the trial.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the former bureaucrat had been in custody for an extended period and that the trial was likely to take time given the large number of witnesses involved in the case. “Taking into consideration the period spent in custody and the fact that the conclusion of trial is likely to take time, we deem it appropriate to grant bail to the petitioner,” the court said.
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The court also observed that while the allegations against Tuteja were serious in nature, they would have to be examined during trial proceedings rather than at the bail stage.
According to submissions made in court, Tuteja was arrested in the DMF corruption case linked to alleged irregularities in the allocation of contracts and misuse of the District Mineral Fund during his tenure as Joint Director in the Department of Industries in Chhattisgarh.
The bench noted that co-accused persons in the case had already been granted bail and that around 85 witnesses are expected to be examined, making the trial process lengthy.
Senior advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for Tuteja, argued that the former IAS officer had already been in jail since 2024 across multiple cases and that continued custody was no longer necessary since he was retired and could not influence the investigation or witnesses.
However, the Chhattisgarh government opposed the bail plea, with Additional Advocate General Ravi Sharma alleging that Tuteja played a key role in corruption networks. The state also referred to earlier WhatsApp chats from 2019, claiming they indicated his involvement in other alleged scams. “Please see his chats… He is discussing his release in the NAN scam case while the trial was ongoing,” the state counsel argued.
The defence countered that such material was unrelated to the present DMF case and should not influence the bail decision.
The Supreme Court ultimately granted bail while directing that Tuteja must stay outside Chhattisgarh, underscoring that the merits of the corruption allegations will be decided during the trial stage.
Published: 18 May 2026, 01:15 pm IST
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