[Mahadev Betting App Case] “We Usually Do Not Skip The Board”: CJI To Hear Bail Plea of Chhattisgarh Businessman on Oct 3

The Supreme Court Today (Oct 1) agreed to hear on October 3 a bail plea of Chhattisgarh-based businessman Sunil Dammani, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in August last year in a money laundering case linked to the illegal gambling Mahadev app. “We usually do not skip the board (cases listed for hearing on a given day), but this is a bail plea… We will hear it on Thursday,” the CJI said after Damani’s lawyer said that his client has been in jail for over 13 months.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on October 3 the bail plea of Sunil Dammani, a businessman from Chhattisgarh, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in August last year in connection with a money laundering case linked to the illegal gambling platform, the Mahadev app.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was requested by Dammani’s counsel to urgently consider the bail plea, given that the businessman has been in jail for over 13 months.

Acknowledging the urgency of the matter, the CJI responded-

“We usually do not skip the board (cases listed for hearing on a given day), but this is a bail plea… We will hear it on Thursday.”

Dammani was arrested on August 23 last year, along with three others, for their alleged involvement in the Mahadev app-related money laundering case. The ED has been probing the case after a state police FIR was registered in 2022 at the Mohan Nagar police station in Durg district, Chhattisgarh, concerning the illegal gambling activities conducted via the Mahadev app.

The ED also conducted raids at various locations, including properties associated with 10 individuals, one of whom was Vinod Verma, a political advisor to former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. Apart from Sunil Dammani, other individuals arrested in the case include his brother Anil Dammani, Chhattisgarh Police assistant sub-inspector Chandra Bhushan Verma, and Satish Chandrakar, all of whom are residents of Raipur.

According to the ED’s investigation, the Dammani brothers, who own a jewellery shop and a petrol pump, are alleged to have facilitated hawala transactions related to the case. The central probe agency suspects that ASI Verma accepted bribes from the accused to shield them from police action, and it is believed that he may have passed money to other police officials as well.

The upcoming Supreme Court hearing will be a critical development for Dammani, who has been behind bars for more than a year. The Mahadev app case has drawn significant attention due to its wide-reaching implications involving illegal gambling and money laundering.

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