The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday has registered a case against 2 retired IAS officers and a former state advocate general for allegedly misusing their positions to influence the investigation into the Nagrik Apurti Nigam scam.
The case stems from their tenures during the previous Congress-led government.
The ACB filed an FIR against former IAS officers Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla, as well as former advocate general Satish Chandra Verma, based on evidence provided by the Enforcement Directorate.
The trio has been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 182 (false information), 211 (false charges), 193 (false evidence), 195A (threatening false evidence), 166A (public servant disobeying law), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Tuteja previously served as the chairperson of NAN, while Shukla was the ex-managing director. The FIR alleges that the two made concerted efforts to obstruct the ED’s investigation into the NAN scam and maintained close contact with bureaucrats and constitutional authorities to influence the ongoing trial against them in Raipur.
According to the FIR, the Income Tax department gathered digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats, suggesting that Tuteja and Shukla attempted to manipulate the investigation.
From 2019 to 2020, they allegedly exercised significant control over bureaucratic operations and policy-making, enabling them to interfere with key postings and transfers in the state government.
The FIR also claims that Shukla and Tuteja provided undue advantages to then-Advocate General Verma, intending to motivate him to perform his duties improperly.
The officers allegedly engaged in a criminal conspiracy to alter procedural documents related to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) investigation, trying to prepare replies for submission to the Chhattisgarh High Court that would favor their case and aid in obtaining anticipatory bail.
Furthermore, the FIR states that they, along with senior EOW officials, pressured witnesses to alter their statements. The NAN scam came to light in February 2015, when the ACB/EOW conducted raids at 25 locations associated with the Civil Supplies Corporation, which manages the Public Distribution System.
During these raids, officials seized unaccounted cash totaling ₹3.64 crore, and many rice and salt samples collected were deemed substandard and unfit for consumption.
Subsequently, 18 individuals, including Tuteja and Shukla, were named as accused. In 2019, the ED initiated an Enforcement Case Information Report under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the ACB’s FIR and chargesheet related to the scam.
Earlier this year, Tuteja was arrested in a separate money laundering case linked to an alleged ₹2,000 crore liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.
