The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking the transfer of a high-profile bribery case involving Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Ankit Tiwari to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Tiwari was arrested on December 1 by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh. Justice M Sundar and Justice R Sakthivel rejected the Public Interest Litigation filed by J Vivek, an advocate from Madurai district, arguing for the transfer of the investigation from DVAC to CBI. But the High Court upheld the DVAC's jurisdiction in the matter. During the hearing, the state maintained that the case falls under the cognisable offences of the Prevention of Corruption Act, justifying DVAC's involvement. Tiwari was arrested based on a complaint by Dr T Suresh Babu, a chief civil surgeon at Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital, where he accused Tiwari of initially demanding Rs 3 crore from him to allegedly overlook a complaint pending against him. He was arrested on December 1. On Tuesday, the Dindigul CJM court granted DVAC custody of Tiwari, who was remanded in judicial custody until December 28. Tiwari then moved the Madras HC for bail. His case has been scheduled for a hearing on December 19.
