Mumbai: In a setback for the CBI, a special court on Wednesday released six individuals, including two senior IRS officers, just hours after their arrest in a corruption case. The release came after defence lawyers argued that the arrests were illegal and that the accused had been subjected to unlawful detention.

On Tuesday, the CBI arrested the six individuals, all of whom were posted at the SEEPZ SEZ in Mumbai, and brought them before the court the following day. The accused included CPS Chauhan, Joint Development Commissioner (JDC); Varawantkar Prasad Hanumantrao, Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC); Manish Kumar, Assistant Development Commissioner (ADC); Ravindra Kumar, Assistant, SEEPZ-SEZ Office; Sanjeev Kumar Meena, Authorized Officer, SEEPZSEZ; and Rajesh Kumar, Upper Division Clerk, SEEPZ-SEZ.

CBI Prosecutor Seeks Custodial Interrogation

During the court proceedings, the CBI prosecutor sought custodial interrogation, alleging that the officers were involved in “collusive corruption,” accepting bribes, and providing undue advantages to parties operating within SEEPZ. These offenses included manipulation in space allotment, the disposal of unused imported goods, and the sale of duty-free goods without proper payments. The officers were also accused of favoritism towards civil contractors in exchange for monetary compensation. Furthermore, the CBI claimed that during a surprise inspection, the accused met Manoj Joglekar, who allegedly acted as an intermediary, collecting bribes on behalf of the SEEPZ officers.

CBI officials discovered 22 envelopes containing cash, each associated with different companies or coded references. These envelopes contained a total of around Rs. 60 lakh. The agency also alleged that Chauhan had arranged an extension of his posting and that documents related to 27 properties, with registration values amounting to crores, were found during a house search. In addition, luxury cars, watches, and bags were seized.

Defence Lawyers Object To The Arrest

The defence lawyers, Rahul Agarwal and Jasmin Purani, objected to the arrest, asserting that the senior officials had been illegally detained. They claimed that their phones had been confiscated their movements restricted, and that they had been held from 10 am on Tuesday until being presented in court the following evening. This, the lawyers argued, constituted illegal detention. After considering the defence’s arguments, the special CBI judge rejected the prosecution’s request for custodial interrogation. The court ordered the release of all six officers on personal recognizance bonds of Rs. 15,000 each, with the detailed order to be made available later.