Alleged ₹31 Crore GST Evasion: Jharkhand HC Grants Bail to Key Accused Considering Period of Detention [Read Order]

The Jharkhand High Court has granted bail to an accused, the alleged mastermind in a ₹31 crore Goods and Services Tax ( GST ) evasion case, stating the period of detention already undergone.

The bail applicant Avnish Jaiswal had been arrested in connection with Case registered under Sections 132(1)(b), 132(1)(c), 132(1)(f), 132(1)(l) and 132(5) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, along with Sections 61, 316, and 322 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The complaint, filed before the Special Judge (Economic Offences), Jamshedpur, alleged that the accused had orchestrated large-scale tax evasion amounting to ₹31 crore over multiple financial years.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner argued that the maximum punishment prescribed for GST evasion is five years, and that the petitioner had already spent nearly three months in custody.

It was also submitted that the investigation had culminated in the filing of the prosecution report, indicating completion of the investigative process.

Opposing the bail, counsel for the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) contended that Jaiswal was the main mastermind behind the evasion network, and that granting bail might hamper the prosecution’s case.

However, taking into account the period of detention and the stage of proceedings, Justice Ambuj Nath held that further custody was not warranted at this stage.

The Court directed that the applicant be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of ₹20,000 with two sureties of the like amount to the satisfaction of the Special Judge, Economic Offences, Jamshedpur.

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