Former Chhattisgarh Advocate General Approaches Supreme Court For Anticipatory Bail; State Agrees Not To Arrest Him For A Week

The Supreme Court today(February 21) recorded the statement of Counsel for the State of Chattisgarh that no coercive steps will be taken against the former Advocate General of Chattisgarh, Satish Chandra Verma, in connection with the NAN scam case, till the next date of hearing, February 28. 

The Court was hearing a Special Leave Petition challenging the High Court of Chattisgarh order dated February 13, denying anticipatory bail to the petitioner in connection with alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860. His anticipatory bail was also rejected by the Sessions Court last year in November.

It is the case of the State that some allegedly incriminating WhatsApp chats between the former AG and prime accused in the Nagrik Apurti Nigam scam, Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla were recovered by the Income Tax Department,which was shared with the Enforcement Directorate. It is alleged that the AG helped the prime accused persons in securing bail.  

Before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted: "An Advocate General is being hounded only because there is a change in the Government last November. If the lawyer is to be hounded because there is a change in the Government, that you talk about a bail granted in 2019 that they have not even challenged. But they say, he prepared a reply, the Advocate General does not prepare a reply. He didn't appear. Now, because the Government has changed, the problem is, those bails granted to those individuals were in 2019. The State never challenged it till today. The ED bail was also granted 5 years ago. The ED has challenged it in Supreme Court and the matter is pending. ED wrote a letter under Section 66 of PMLA asking the State to register a crime. The State registers a crime and I get anticipatory bail."

Counsel for the State of Chattisgarh replied: "I will give a statement that will be not arrest him but Mylords may not record it. It's my assurance...I have got some Whatsapp chats. His anticipatory bail has been rejected from trial Court and High Court and he is yet to be served a notice."

However, Justice Nath stated that the Court would not get into this. He added that the Court will pass an order giving some interim relief till the time the State files a counter affidavit. Then the Counsel stated that the Court can record his statement that no coercive steps will be taken by the State against the former Advocate General till the next date of hearing.

Therefore, the Court ordered: "On Statement given by counsel for Respondent that no coercive measures will be taken against the petitioner, till that date we are not passing any directions."

The Court will hear the matter on February 28.

Case Details: SATISH CHANDRA VERMA v. STATE OF CHHATTISGARH|SLP(Crl) No. 2600/2025