CBI Probe Ordered Into Excise Officer Bribery Allegations: MP High Court

In a significant ruling emphasising accountability and fair investigation, the Madhya Pradesh High Court transferred the investigation into the alleged suicide of liquor contractor Dinesh Makwana to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), observing that serious allegations of corruption against a senior Excise Department officer could not be ignored lightly.

The Court noted that despite the deceased leaving behind a suicide video accusing Excise officer Mandakini Dixit of demanding illegal monthly payments and commissions from liquor shops, the local police failed to even register an FIR for months. Justice Subodh Abhyankar remarked that the conduct of the police created a serious doubt regarding the fairness and credibility of the investigation and appeared to reflect an attempt to “brush under the carpet” the allegations raised in the suicide note.

Rejecting objections regarding alleged tampering of the video and the delay between the recording and the suicide, the Court held that such circumstances could not automatically discredit the deceased’s allegations at the preliminary stage. Stressing that courts must intervene in exceptional cases where investigation credibility is compromised, the High Court directed immediate transfer of the matter to the CBI for registration of FIR and independent investigation.