TFP Bureau, New Delhi, May 30, 2025: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim bail to four prominent accused in the high-profile Chhattisgarh coal levy scam—businessman Suryakant Tiwari, former administrative officer Saumya Chaurasia, Ranu Sahu, and IAS officer Sameer Vishvoi—while imposing stringent conditions to safeguard the ongoing investigation.
The bench, comprising Justices Suryakant and Dipankar Datta, directed the accused to submit bail bonds to the trial court and prohibited them from residing within Chhattisgarh during the interim bail period. However, the accused must appear before investigating agencies or the trial court in the state whenever summoned. They are required to provide their new residential addresses outside Chhattisgarh within a week of release and notify the local police accordingly.
Justice Suryakant emphasized the potential influence the accused might exert on the investigation, warning that any attempt to contact or intimidate witnesses, or tamper with evidence, would lead to immediate cancellation of the bail. The court also ordered the accused to surrender their passports to the special court immediately and to cooperate fully with investigation agencies.
The Supreme Court underscored that the interim bail is a temporary relief and does not confer any judicial advantage or immunity on the accused.
During proceedings, the bench raised serious concerns about witness protection, stressing the need to instill confidence among witnesses to ensure a fair and effective investigation. Justice Suryakant noted, “If you leave witnesses at the mercy of influential persons, what will happen to the investigation?”
The case—Ranu Sahu vs State of Chhattisgarh (SLP Criminal No. 15941/2024)—is being investigated by both the Enforcement Directorate and the state’s Economic Offences Wing and remains under the close supervision of the Supreme Court.
Senior advocates Siddhartha Dey, Mukhta Gupta, Siddhartha Agarwal, and advocates Tushar Giri and Harshvardhan Parganiha appeared for the petitioners, while Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and Deputy Advocate General Ravi Sharma represented the respondents.
