Ankit Tiwari, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) official who was arrested earlier this month on bribery charges, was denied bail by the Madras High Court on December 20. After the state’s public prosecutor argued that the authorities had arrested Ankit with credible evidence and he may tamper with evidence if given relief, the court refused to grant bail to the ED official.

According to Live Law, arguing against his bail, the public prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah said in court that the case had been registered with due evidence. He further told the court that documentary evidence had been obtained revealing that 75 persons including top ED officials were involved in the case, Justice V Sivagnanam who was hearing the plea, denied Ankit’s application for bail. 

On December 1, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officials arrested Ankit near the Madurai-Dindigul national highway on allegations of bribery. The anti-corruption authorities had seized Rs 20 lakh cash from him and raids were conducted at his residence and at the ED’s Madurai office on the same day. The DVAC booked him under section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

Read: TN vigilance tightens case against ED, says more officers involved in bribery 

DVAC’s case against Ankit Tiwari

As per a press release from the state agency, Ankit, on October 29, had allegedly contacted a government employee from Dindigul regarding a closed DVAC case registered against the said person. He also allegedly told the employee that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had asked the ED to investigate the matter. He then asked the employee to appear before the ED office in Madurai on October 30 for an investigation.

However, when the person arrived at the Madurai office, Ankit allegedly demanded that he pay Rs 3 crore as a bribe to close the case. Later, after claiming to have spoken to his senior officials, Ankit purportedly told the person that the final bribe amount was fixed at Rs 51 lakh. The person, according to DVAC, paid Ankit Rs 20 lakhs on November 1. Eventually, he grew suspicious of Ankit and notified the Dindigul office of DVAC on November 30. The following day, as per DVAC’s statement, Ankit was caught red handed accepting another Rs 20 lakh, the second installment of the alleged bribe.

Meanwhile, on December 3, the ED’s Madurai office submitted a complaint to Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal against DVAC for the raids conducted on their premises.