The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to businessman Anwar Dhebar in a money laundering case linked to an alleged ₹2,000 crore liquor scam, making it clear that there is “no rule” requiring an accused to spend a year in custody before being considered for bail.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, while granting bail, observed: “It is not a rule to be in custody for a year to get bail.” Dhebar, who was arrested on August 8, 2024, has already spent over nine months behind bars.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), opposing the bail, urged the court not to grant relief yet, arguing that the accused had not completed one year in jail — a benchmark it claimed was being followed by the court in other similar cases. The ED also highlighted Dhebar’s political connections and influence, saying his release could hamper the trial process.
However, the apex court rejected the contention, stating that such a “one-year custody benchmark” was not a binding rule and bail could not be denied solely on that basis. The court pointed out that the trial was unlikely to begin anytime soon, given the scale of the case.
“The appellant was arrested on August 8, 2024. Forty witnesses have been cited. Investigation is in progress. In the predicate offence, there are 450 witnesses. Cognisance has not even been taken. Therefore, there is no possibility of trial commencing in the near future. The maximum punishment is seven years,” the court noted in its order.
The court directed that Dhebar be released within a week, subject to terms and conditions fixed by the special court. One such condition includes the surrender of his passport.
The Supreme Court also cited its earlier ruling in the Senthil Balaji case to support the grant of bail.
Background of the Case
Anwar Dhebar is the brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar. He was the first person arrested in the high-profile liquor scam case linked to alleged money laundering and tax evasion. The case stems from a chargesheet filed by the Income Tax department.
The ED, in its prosecution complaint filed before a PMLA court in Raipur on July 4, 2024, alleged that a massive ₹2,161 crore in corruption money was siphoned off from a liquor syndicate operating in Chhattisgarh since 2019. This money, it claimed, should have gone into the state’s coffers.
According to the ED, the illegal syndicate involved senior state bureaucrats, politicians, excise department officials, and other associates who manipulated the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh and other states for personal gain.
The matter will now proceed in the trial court, where Dhebar’s bail conditions will be monitored.
