A Special Judge of the CBI Court in Chandigarh has granted bail to Ankit Wadhwa, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a Rs 13 lakh bribery case involving officials posted in the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.The CBI had arrested three accused — Raghav Goyal, Vikas alias Vicky Goyal and Ankit Wadhwa — on May 11 after registering a case on the complaint of a State Tax officer from Malout. Subsequently, Om Parkash Singh Rana, reader to the Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab Vigilance Bureau, was also arrested in the case.According to the CBI, a purportedly fake disproportionate assets (DA) case against complainant Amit Kumar was pending with the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. The agency alleged that Vikas Goyal and Raghav Goyal facilitated a meeting between the complainant and Om Parkash Singh Rana at the latter’s office on April 29, 2026, where a bribe demand was allegedly made.CBI Public Prosecutor Narender Singh argued that the investigating agency had collected direct and specific evidence against Ankit Wadhwa. He alleged that Wadhwa acted as a conduit for co-accused Vikas Goyal and Raghav Goyal to receive illegal gratification. The prosecution claimed that on May 11, 2026, Wadhwa visited the JW Marriott Hotel in Chandigarh to collect the demanded bribe of Rs 13 lakh and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 mobile phone. He allegedly contacted the complainant, met him in the complainant’s vehicle in the hotel parking area and accepted the cash and mobile phone.Appearing for Wadhwa, advocate Terminder Singh contended that his client had been falsely implicated. He argued that Wadhwa was neither named in the original complaint nor was there any communication between him and the complainant. The defence further submitted that no allegation of any bribe demand had been made against the accused.The defence maintained that Wadhwa had no knowledge of the alleged transaction or communication between the complainant and the other accused. A driver by profession, he was hired by various departments as and when required. Counsel argued that the trap had been laid for another person who could not be apprehended and that Wadhwa had been wrongly implicated due to a misunderstanding.After hearing both sides, the CBI Court allowed Wadhwa’s bail application, observing that the allegations against him would be examined during the course of the trial.