CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has granted a 10-day interim bail to Chintan Raghuvanshi, deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Bhubaneswar zonal office, who was arrested by the CBI on May 30 in connection with a bribery case.
The 2013-batch Indian Revenue Service officer was taken into custody for allegedly accepting illegal gratification through a middleman from a city-based businessman in exchange for settling a case. Raghuvanshi had filed a regular bail petition on June 23, along with an interlocutory application seeking interim bail citing the pregnancy of his wife. However, before the interim bail plea could be heard, his wife gave birth to a baby on June 28.
He continued to press for interim bail on humanitarian grounds, expressing a desire to see his newborn child. In a detailed order dated July 2, Justice Gourishankar Satapathy observed that while the concept of interim bail is not codified in any statute, courts have evolved the practice through judicial pronouncements, granting it under special or exceptional circumstances.
The CBI opposed the plea, expressing concerns that Raghuvanshi’s release could hinder the ongoing investigation. However, the court noted that the officer has been in custody since May 30 and the investigation must have progressed substantially by now. Acknowledging that Raghuvanshi is neither a hardened criminal nor a flight risk, and recognising the emotional appeal of a father wishing to see his newborn child, the court granted him interim bail on humanitarian grounds.