The Supreme Court of India has granted interim bail to Ankit Tiwari, an officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), who was apprehended by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) last December over allegations of bribery. 

The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan.

Ankit Tiwari's bail comes with certain conditions, as directed by the Supreme Court. He is prohibited from leaving the state without official authorization and must surrender his passport if requested. This decision was made during the course of hearing a batch of petitions related to the bribery case lodged against Tiwari by the DVAC.

Among the petitions presented before the court were Ankit Tiwari's challenges against the dismissal of his applications for regular bail and statutory bail by the Madras High Court. Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate filed a petition alleging non-cooperation by the Tamil Nadu government in sharing FIRs concerning investigations into money laundering cases.

Furthermore, the Enforcement Directorate has urged the transfer of the bribery case investigation against Ankit Tiwari from the DVAC to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Tiwari's arrest last year by the DVAC stemmed from allegations of accepting a bribe amounting to ₹20 lakh.

Notably, the Supreme Court had previously halted the DVAC probe against Tiwari. Moreover, the apex court had suggested the possibility of appointing a judicial body to oversee cases involving concurrent investigations by both state agencies and central agencies like the ED and the CBI.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court hinted at the formulation of guidelines to address concerns regarding bias from state investigation agencies or potential vindictiveness by central investigating bodies when handling such cases.

During the recent court proceedings, it was revealed that the Enforcement Directorate had yet to file a rejoinder in their case against the Tamil Nadu government. In response, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju assured that the rejoinder would be submitted.

Following this submission, the Supreme Court granted a two-week extension for the filing of the rejoinder. Additionally, the DVAC was directed to submit a counter affidavit within the same timeframe regarding Ankit Tiwari's plea for regular bail.