Four Accused in Bhartamala Scam Granted Bail

The Chhattisgarh High Court has granted bail to four individuals implicated in the Bhartamala compensation scam. Among those granted bail are Harmeet Khanuja, considered the mastermind, along with Uma Devi Tiwari, Kedar Tiwari, and Vijay Jain. They had been in Raipur jail for three months following their arrest by the ACB. The court’s decision followed hearings where the defense argued there was no legal basis to deny bail. The scam involved fraudulent activities related to land acquisition for the Bhartamala project, a central government initiative for a 463-kilometer highway from Raipur to Visakhapatnam. Earlier, the EOW (Economic Offenses Wing) had arrested six more individuals, including two officials from the Water Resources Department.