Chhattisgarh HC denies bail to businessman Anwar Dhebar in alleged manpower commission scam

The Chhattisgarh High Court has rejected the bail plea of businessman Anwar Dhebar in a case involving alleged corruption and an illegal commission racket linked to the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL). Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad, dismissing the application on May 13, said the allegations indicated a “deep-rooted and systematic corruption network” within the state-run corporation and held that economic offences involving public funds must be treated with greater seriousness. The court observed that economic offences involving deep-rooted conspiracies and large-scale loss of public money are grave crimes that affect the country’s economy as a whole.

The court noted that material collected during the investigation prima facie suggested that manpower supply agencies were allegedly compelled to pay illegal commissions to secure clearance of their legitimate bills and dues. It recorded that the prosecution had portrayed Dhebar not as a peripheral participant but as “one of the principal beneficiaries and controlling figures in the entire conspiracy.”

The order further stated that witness statements, electronic communications, seizure proceedings, and financial linkages indicated that illegal collections were allegedly made in a “structured and organized manner” through intermediaries and co-accused.

Rejecting the defence argument that the FIR amounted to a second FIR arising from the same transactions already under probe in the liquor scam case, the High Court held that the present matter prima facie involved a separate chain of transactions relating specifically to manpower agencies and the alleged extraction of illegal commissions.

The court also declined to accept the contention regarding delayed arrest and alleged “evergreening of custody,” observing that investigations into complex economic offences involving multiple accused, financial transactions, and digital evidence require time to gather documentary and electronic material.

Citing Supreme Court rulings on economic offences, the High Court said such crimes form a “class apart” due to their serious impact on governance, public administration, and the economy. It added that the allegations, if proved, would strike “at the very foundation of public administration and institutional integrity.”

The case was registered by the Economic Offences Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau under provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the prosecution, a structured mechanism allegedly operated within CSMCL in which manpower agencies were forced to pay commissions for bill clearances, with the proceeds allegedly routed through intermediaries.

The court also noted the prosecution’s apprehension that Dhebar, described as influential with significant political and financial clout, could influence witnesses or obstruct the investigation if released. It observed that the probe into the money trail, identification of alleged benami assets, and the involvement of other persons was still ongoing.

Finding that no case for bail was made out at this stage, the High Court dismissed the application, while clarifying that its observations were prima facie and limited to deciding the bail plea.