Supreme Court Grants Bail To Anwar Dhebar In Liquor Scam, Says 1-Year Jail Not Mandatory

The Supreme Court of India has clarified that spending one year in jail is not a prerequisite for granting bail in money laundering cases, as it granted relief to businessman Anwar Dhebar, an accused in the alleged ₹2,000 crore liquor scam.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan ruled that there is no legal mandate requiring an accused to remain in custody for a year before being eligible for bail. Dhebar was arrested in August 2024 and had already served over nine months in jail.

"The maximum punishment for the offence is seven years, and with over 40 witnesses in the current case and 450 in the predicate offence, the trial is unlikely to commence soon," the court noted.

Referring to the Senthil Balaji ruling, the court stated Dhebar could be released on stringent bail conditions, including surrendering his passport.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the bail, arguing that the court had set an informal one-year custody benchmark in similar cases, and that Dhebar’s political connections could influence the ongoing investigation. Dhebar is the brother of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar.

Despite the ED's objections, the apex court directed that the accused be released within a week, as per the conditions laid down by the special PMLA court.

The case stems from a money laundering investigation linked to an Income Tax Department chargesheet alleging massive tax evasion and corruption in liquor distribution across Chhattisgarh and other states. According to the ED, a syndicate involving senior bureaucrats, politicians, and excise officials orchestrated the scam, diverting ₹2,161 crore that should have gone to the state exchequer.