HC grants bail to customs officer arrested by CBI in bribery case

The court observed that the officer, Vineet Dhattarwal, was in jail for around two months, and further detention was not warranted since the investigation had concluded

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court (HC) has granted bail to a customs officer arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in January in a bribery case. The court observed that the officer, Vineet Dhattarwal, was in jail for around two months, and further detention was not warranted since the investigation had concluded.

Mumbai, India - Aug. 28, 2015 : Bombay High Court : ( Photo by Bhushan Koyande )

Dhattarwal was accused of demanding a bribe of ₹4 lakh, which was reduced to ₹2.5 lakh after negotiations, to clear a Gujarat-based firm’s import consignment. The CBI’s Mumbai unit arrested him on January 7. A court in Alibag had rejected his bail plea on January 16.

Granting Dhattarwal bail, a single-judge bench of justice NR Borkar said, “The applicant is in jail for about two months. As the investigation is over, further detention of the applicant is not warranted. Considering the overall facts and circumstances of the case, I am inclined to release the applicant on bail.”

Dhattarwal was released on Monday, when the high court’s order was signed and uploaded on its website, according to his lawyer, Dr Sujay Kantawala.

Dhattarwal, who was working as a superintendent in the customs department at the time, allegedly detained the shipment intentionally. During a subsequent examination, the samples of the chemical from the shipment were sent for testing, after which a customs laboratory cleared the release of the consignment.

The accused, however, contended that he was innocent. His counsel submitted that the department where Dhattarwal was posted is headed by the commissioner of customs, who takes all the final decisions after investigation and submission of reports.

Dhattarwal’s lawyer told the court that he was not the final authority to order the release of the shipment, and his role as a superintendent was very limited. Therefore, the question of demanding a bribe to release the shipment did not arise, he argued.