High Court dismisses all petitions seeking CBI probe in NAN scam

 

 

 

In a major legal development, the High Court of Chhattisgarh dismissed a batch of petitions seeking transfer of the ongoing investigation in the multi-crore NAN (Nagrik Apurti Nigam) scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), observing that no valid ground existed for intervention at this advanced stage of trial.

  

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Parth Prateem Sahu pronounced the order after hearing eight petitions, including those filed by social organisations and individuals such as Hamar Sangwari NGO and advocate Sudiep Shrivastava. The court noted that the trial of the 2015 corruption case-registered by the State’s Special Establishment Organisation of the Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB) - had already reached its concluding stage with evidence of over 170 out of 224 prosecution witnesses recorded.

 

The Bench observed that the delay in trial was primarily due to parallel proceedings before the Supreme Court and the High Court, both of which have now been concluded. Citing the Supreme Court’s September 16, 2025 order in Criminal Appeal Nos. 4097-4098 of 2025, which cancelled the anticipatory bail granted earlier to IAS officers Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla and directed their custody to the Enforcement

 

Directorate (ED), the High Court said the matter now required no further transfer of investigation. Appearing for the State through video conferencing from Delhi, Additional Advocate General Atul Jha submitted that the case has been under continuous trial for nearly a decade and is now in its final phase.

 

Advocate Sudiep Shrivastava, who appeared in person, contended that the SEOIACB probe was incomplete and had left out several individuals allegedly linked to the irregularities, including salt supplier Munish Kumar Shah. However, the Bench noted that any such grievance could be addressed before the trial court under Section 319 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. “Considering that the trial is at an advanced stage, we find no good ground to transfer the investigation at this stage to the CBI,” the Bench ruled, dismissing all public interest petitions and appeals. The court further directed the trial court to conclude the proceedings expeditiously.