ED Arrests Ex-IAS Officers Alok Shukla and Anil Tuteja in Chhattisgarh Scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former IAS officers Alok Shukla and Anil Tuteja in connection with the Chhattisgarh Civil Supplies Corporation scam. A special court has granted the ED permission to hold the officials for 28 days of remand. Alok Shukla, the former Chief Secretary, surrendered before the special ED court in Raipur on Monday morning. Following the court’s acceptance of his application, the ED team took him into custody. Meanwhile, Anil Tuteja was already in judicial custody. The ED obtained a production warrant to bring him before the court to complete the legal arrest process. The ED presented arguments in court, highlighting that Alok Shukla served as the corporation’s chairman and Anil Tuteja as the secretary during the period when the scam came to light. The investigation agency claims that financial irregularities and alleged bribery were reported during their tenure. The ED asserted that extensive questioning, based on documentary evidence, is essential and cannot be achieved within a limited period of detention. Previously, both officers had been granted anticipatory bail by the High Court. However, the Supreme Court overturned this, mandating two weeks of ED custody followed by two weeks of judicial custody. The court also stated that the officers had attempted to obstruct the investigation that commenced in 2015.