Bombay High Court Revokes Bail in CGST Bribery Case

The Bombay High Court has quashed a Thane special court's bail order for three individuals accused in a ₹40 lakh bribery case involving Central GST officials. The court remanded the accused to two days of Central Bureau of Investigation custody on Wednesday, though investigators could not locate one of the officials.

Court Overturns Lower Court's Bail Ruling

Allowing a criminal revision application from the CBI, the Bombay High Court set aside the Thane special court's August 28 order. The lower court had granted bail to the trio after declaring their arrests "illegal," citing a failure to follow prescribed legal procedure. The high court, after examining the record, found that "the grounds of arrest had been communicated and that the relevant family members and advocates had been informed," according to CBI officials. The trio had been arrested by the CBI a day before the Thane court granted them bail.

The Accused and Custody Status

The high court's order remanded three individuals to CBI custody: Vinay Kantheti, an additional commissioner with CGST Raigad; Rakesh Sinha, a superintendent with CGST Raigad; and Narinder Rajput, a private person described as a Customs House Agent. Pursuant to the order, Sinha and Rajput were taken into custody for interrogation. CBI officials, however, stated they could not trace Kantheti on Wednesday following the high court's ruling. "Efforts are being made to trace and apprehend Vinay Kumar Kantheti, additional commissioner, CGST, in accordance with law. Investigation in the case continues," an official said.

Details of the Bribery Allegations

The CBI's anti-corruption branch in Mumbai registered a case on August 26 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case was based on a complaint alleging a demand for illegal gratification by Superintendent Rakesh Sinha. The complaint alleged that an illegal gratification of ₹1.50 crore, later reduced to ₹40 lakh, was demanded concerning proceedings related to the complainant's stone-quarrying firm. Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap on August 27. During this operation, Narinder Rajput was apprehended while allegedly accepting ₹40 lakh on behalf of Sinha and Kantheti. Kantheti is a 2009-batch Indian Revenue Service officer.

Initial Arrests and Legal Challenge

As part of the probe, the CBI arrested Sinha, Rajput, and Kantheti on August 27 and 28. The agency produced them before the Thane special court for remand on August 28. The CBI had sought five days of police custody for custodial interrogation. The special court rejected this request, held the arrests to be "illegal," and released the accused on bail. The Thane court had questioned the manner in which the arrests were documented and carried out, holding that the law requires the accused to be informed in writing of the grounds for arrest. The CBI subsequently challenged this bail order in the high court.