The Supreme Court on Tuesday cautioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against creating an “atmosphere of fear”, after the Chhattisgarh government alleged that the central agency was “running amok” in the State to “implicate” Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in a money laundering case linked to a ₹2000-crore liquor scam.
A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said that even a “bona fide cause” would seem suspect if a law enforcement agency conducted itself in a way that created an atmosphere of fear.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for Chhattisgarh, submitted in court that over 50 excise department officials in the State have complained about threats and “mental and physical torture” from the ED during the course of investigation.
