2 IRS officers released within hours of 'arrest'

In a setback for the CBI, a special court on Wednesday released six individuals, including two senior IRS officers, just hours after their arrest in a corruption case.

- Charul Shah Joshi

The release came after defence lawyers argued that the arrests were illegal and that the accused had been subjected to unlawful detention.

On Tuesday, the CBI arrested the six individuals, all of whom were posted at the SEEPZ SEZ in Mumbai, and brought them before the court the following day. The accused included CPS Chauhan, Joint Development Commissioner (JDC); Varawantkar Prasad Hanumantrao, Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC); Manish Kumar, Assistant Development Commissioner (ADC); Ravindra Kumar, Assistant, SEEPZ-SEZ Office; Sanjeev Kumar Meena, Authorized Officer, SEEPZ-SEZ; and Rajesh Kumar, Upper Division Clerk, SEEPZ-SEZ.