The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the interim bail granted by the Karnataka High Court to Ritu Minocha, an accused in a massive ₹665 crore GST input tax credit (ITC) fraud case.
The bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice SVN Bhatti remarked that the timeline and the manner in which interim relief was extended raised troubling questions. “The manner and timeframe in which things have moved in the High Court needs interference,” the court observed.
The bench expressed serious concerns over the procedural propriety and the suppression of material facts during the High Court’s hearing.
The case against Minocha stems from a search operation carried out by officials of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Bangalore, at her residence in Mumbai on January 6 and 7. She was subsequently arrested on January 20 under various provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, including Sections 132(b), (c), (l)(i), and 132(5). On January 24, she was remanded to judicial custody by the Special Court for Economic Offences in Bengaluru.
However, the following day, January 25, Justice SR Krishna Kumar of the Karnataka High Court granted her interim bail. Since then, Minocha has not been in custody.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, appearing for the GST authorities, pointed out that Minocha had appeared before the Special Court on January 21 and 23. He argued that the High Court was not informed that the matter was already being heard by the Special Court. Although the trial court’s rejection of her bail application was eventually mentioned on January 25, the Supreme Court noted the “lack of candour” and criticised the undue urgency with which the interim relief was granted.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing Minocha, argued that she is a mother with caregiving duties and contended that the alleged tax evasion directly attributable to her was limited to ₹5 crore. He also submitted that the offence was non-cognisable under Section 132 of the CGST Act and did not necessitate custodial detention.
The Supreme Court, however, declined to entertain these submissions and refrained from making any observations on the merits of the case. “Without commenting too much on this, we set aside the order,” the bench ruled.
The court directed Minocha to surrender before the trial court within one week. It also instructed the Karnataka High Court not to proceed with the writ petition she had filed seeking to quash the case. The matter is now to be placed before an appropriate bench of the High Court for fresh consideration, with the Supreme Court clarifying that its present order should not influence the proceedings.
Case Details
Case Title: Senior Intelligence Officer Gurmeet Singh Makker Versus Ritu Nitin Minocha And Anr.
Case No.: SLP(Crl) No. 3736/2025II-C
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