‘EOW/ACB fabricating evidence before SC’

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Congress on Sunday alleged that the state's investigating agencies—the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)—are fabricating evidence and undermining judicial integrity.In a joint press conference in Raipur, state Congress president Deepak Baij, leader of opposition Charandas Mahant, and former CM Bhupesh Baghel accused the agencies of "continuously flouting judicial procedure." At the centre of the controversy are statements recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC (now Section 183 of the BNSS)—a crucial part of judicial proceedings that must be sealed and opened only during trial. The Congress alleged that in at least one case, investigators submitted a pre-typed statement from a pen drive instead of recording the accused's oral testimony before a magistrate. Baghel said this act constitutes a "gross violation of judicial process" and was intended to falsely implicate other accused persons. The issue surfaced when the EOW/ACB submitted documents to SC during bail hearings in the alleged coal scam cases, including the Section 164 statement of co-accused Nikhil Chandrakar. tnn