Ex-Chhattisgarh Advocate General Approaches Supreme Court for Anticipatory Bail; State Postpones Arrest by One Week
(Judicial Quest News Quest)
The Supreme Court today, February 21st, recorded the statement from Chhattisgarh’s counsel, confirming that no coercive action would be taken against former Advocate General, Satish Chandra Verma, who is alleged to have helped some accused in the Nagrik Aapurti Nigam scam case until the next hearing on February 28.
This development follows Verma’s special leave petition challenging the Chhattisgarh High Court’s denial of anticipatory bail, which had been rejected by the Sessions Court last November. Verma faces charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, related to alleged involvement in the scandal.
Advocate Sumeer Sodhi appeared for Mr. Satish Chandra Verma
The state alleges that incriminating WhatsApp chats between Verma and prime accused Anil Teja and Alok Shukla were recovered by the Income Tax Department and shared with the Enforcement Directorate. It is claimed that Verma helped secure bail for the accused.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Verma, argued that the lawyer was being targeted due to a change in the state government last November. He emphasized that the charges stemmed from an earlier case where the state had not previously contested the issue, and that the anticipatory bail was sought in the context of a five-year-old matter.
It is respectfully submitted that, based on the facts and circumstances outlined above, the grounds raised by the applicant are baseless and without merit. The claims are false and frivolous, and the applicant is not entitled to the relief sought. Therefore, the present application should be dismissed as it lacks substance and merit.
In response, the Chhattisgarh government assured that no coercive steps would be taken against Verma until the next court date. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear further arguments on February 28.
