Supreme Court Directs Enforcement Directorate Not To Create Atmosphere Of Fear

Supreme Court’s order cam after it was apprised by the Chhattisgarh Government that several state excise department officials have been complaining of being threatened and to implicate CM Bhupesh Baghel in liquor irregularities case.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 17 May 2023 9:05 am

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Enforcement Directorate(ED) not to create an atmosphere of fear, NDTV report said.

According to the report in NDTV, the Apex Court’s direction came after it was apprised by the Chhattisgarh Government that several state excise department officials have been complaining of being threatened and to implicate the Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in liquor irregularities case.

“A bench of Justices S K Kaul and A Amanullah remarks came while hearing an application filed by Chhattisgarh Government seeking to be impleaded as a party in the ongoing petitions,” mentioned the report.

It said Chhattisgarh Government, through VMZ Chambers, has filed an application for impleadment to permit the state to be impleaded as party respondent.

Chhattisgarh Government has alleged that several state excise department officials have accused Enforcement Directorate of threatening them and their family members with arrest and are "trying to implicate the CM”, the report said.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chhattisgarh Government, told the top court, "Enforcement Directorate is running amok and threatening excise officers”, the report mentioned.

He further called it a shocking state of affairs, it added.

However, representing Enforcement Directorate, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, rebutted the allegations and said, "The probe agency is conducting a probe into the liquor irregularities,”it mentioned.

The court asked Enforcement Directorate not to create a fear atmosphere in the excise official and remarked that due to such behaviour, a bonafide cause becomes suspect, it said.

"Chhattisgarh Government has filed an application for impleadment in the petitions filed by some persons challenging the Enforcement Directorate probe against them. Enforcement Directorate is conducting an investigation into the liquor scam which ran between 2019 to 2022 in which corruption was done in multiple ways. The bribe was collected from the distillers per each case of liquor procured from them by the CSMCL," they said.