Bhubaneswar: In a significant development, the Orissa High Court has granted bail to Chintan Raghuvanshi, Deputy Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in the alleged ₹20 lakh bribery case for which he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on May 24.
Raghuvanshi, a 2013-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer posted at the ED’s Bhubaneswar Zonal Office, had been in judicial custody for over 50 days.
Bail Granted with Stringent Conditions
Justice Gaurishankar Satapathy, while hearing the petition on Wednesday, directed Raghuvanshi’s release on bail with several conditions. The court asked the officer to:
- Furnish a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with two solvent sureties.
- Deposit his passport with the trial court.
Not leave the territorial jurisdiction of the trial court, addressing the CBI’s concern of a flight risk.
Middleman Also Granted Bail
Alongside Raghuvanshi, the court also granted bail to Bhakti Binod Behera, the alleged middleman in the case, under similar terms.
The High Court observed that although the investigation had made considerable progress, both the petitioners remained in custody with no immediate prospect of trial.
Court Highlights Principles of Presumption of Innocence
Relying on the 2020 Supreme Court judgment in Satendra Kumar Antil vs CBI, Justice Satapathy underscored that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception”, affirming that the presumption of innocence is fundamental until guilt is proven.
“The minimum punishment for the offence alleged is three years, yet the accused have been in custody for over 50 days,” argued Lalitendu Mishra, counsel for Raghuvanshi, emphasizing the disproportionality in the continued detention.
The court further noted that CBI had not sought custodial interrogation, and both accused had cooperated with the investigation, indicating they were not a threat to the probe.
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Background: CBI Arrest and Allegations
The CBI had arrested Raghuvanshi in May following a complaint that he allegedly demanded and accepted ₹20 lakh through an intermediary in exchange for settling a money laundering case. The arrest had drawn significant attention, given the seniority and sensitivity of the post held by Raghuvanshi.
The ED officer’s arrest had also triggered concerns in bureaucratic circles over inter-agency coordination and procedural safeguards during corruption investigations involving high-ranking officials.
