Rs 60 Lakh Cash Seizure Case : After Repeated Bail Rejections, IFS Officer Gaurav Ravindra Wagh Returns to Tripura Under Supreme Court Protection

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 29, 2026

Suspended Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Gaurav Ravindra Wagh, the former Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of South Tripura district, has reportedly returned to Tripura after remaining away from the state for nearly 200 days following a controversial cash seizure involving nearly Rs 60 lakh at Agartala Railway Station. His reported return has triggered fresh questions about the status of the investigation, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance from police surveillance, the effectiveness of the state machinery and the administrative action initiated against him.

Although reports suggest that Wagh has returned to the state and may have reported to the Forest Department headquarters in Agartala, his precise whereabouts remain unclear. His mobile phone is reportedly still switched off, while officials in the Forest Department have not publicly clarified whether he has formally reported to headquarters, when he returned or under what administrative arrangements he is currently staying in Tripura. The absence of an official clarification has added another layer of uncertainty to a case that has already attracted considerable political and administrative attention.

The development comes amid legal proceedings before the Supreme Court of India after Wagh's anticipatory bail applications were rejected by courts in Tripura. The proceedings in Gaurav Ravindra Wagh versus State of Tripura, Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 13507/2026, arose from the Tripura High Court's order dated June 3, 2026, in Anticipatory Bail Application No. 29/2026. The Supreme Court's order dated September 23, 2026, recorded that interim protection granted on August 3 would continue until further orders. The case was subsequently directed to be listed after time was granted for filing a rejoinder affidavit.

The Supreme Court proceedings are central to understanding Wagh's present legal position. His earlier applications for anticipatory bail were rejected at the lower-court level, but the subsequent interim protection granted by the apex court altered the immediate situation concerning his arrest. The exact scope of the protection, including its duration and any conditions imposed not known, must be determined from the operative judicial order. Interim protection during proceedings should not automatically be described as a final grant of anticipatory bail unless the court's order expressly establishes that status.

The matter was reportedly came up again on October 28, 2026. But details of the court's order awaited.

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