The Supreme Court granted bail to former Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam and his private secretary Sanjeev Lal in a money laundering case linked to a tender commission scam investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. This decision came after special leave petitions challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s denial of bail were heard by a bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh.
Earlier, on April 2, the apex court had instructed the examination of key witnesses in the case to be expedited and had declined interim relief. The trial court was directed to complete the witness examination promptly, preferably within four weeks. Alamgir Alam’s counsel had argued that the 76-year-old leader had been in custody since May 2024, with trial delays due to repeated supplementary prosecution complaints by the ED.
The Jharkhand High Court, in its order from July 2025, had denied bail, stating that there was no reason to believe the accused were not involved in handling proceeds of crime. The court emphasized the seriousness of corruption in society and the need for a different approach in economic offense cases concerning bail. Money laundering cases with deep-rooted conspiracies and significant loss of public funds were highlighted as requiring strict scrutiny during bail considerations.
