The Madras High Court, in a decision on Wednesday, dismissed the bail plea of Ankit Tiwari, an officer from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Tiwari had been arrested by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on recent bribery allegations, resulting in the rejection of his request for release.

Earlier this month, Tiwari was apprehended by the DVAC for purportedly being caught accepting a bribe amounting to ₹20 lakh.

Today, Justice V. Sivagnanam from the Madurai bench of the High Court dismissed his bail plea.

On December 1, Tiwari was arrested and placed into judicial custody following allegations by the DVAC of him accepting a bribe and reportedly threatening a doctor from Dindigul district in the state.

According to the DVAC, Tiwari allegedly demanded ₹3 crore from a local doctor to resolve pending cases against him. After negotiations, an agreement was reached for ₹51 lakh, of which the doctor reportedly paid Tiwari ₹20 lakh, as per DVAC's claims.

In his bail application submitted to the High Court, Tiwari contended that the case against him was malicious. He asserted that there were no pending cases against the concerned doctor, refuting the basis for his alleged influence or demand for a bribe to resolve non-existent cases.

Tiwari highlighted Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 in his statement, emphasizing that an officer can only be prosecuted if they receive gratification, other than legal remuneration, as a "motive or reward for doing or forbearing to do any official act or forbearing from doing something in the exercise of official position to favor someone."

Tiwari argued that in the current scenario, there was no underlying motive for him to demand a bribe or engage in any unlawful activity. He emphasized that his prolonged detention in jail could significantly impact his mental and physical well-being, urging the Court to consider granting him bail.

Despite Tiwari's arguments, the High Court ultimately rejected his plea for bail.