1. Leave granted.
2. The appellant is aggrieved by the order dated 29.01.2026,
whereby the Andhra Pradesh High Court has declined his prayer
for anticipatory bail. The appellant sought anticipatory bail
in FIR No.21/2024 dated 23.09.2024, registered with CID Police
Station, Mangalagiri, for offences under Sections 409, 420,
and 120B read with Sections 34 and 37 of the IPC and Sections
7, 7A, 8, 13(1)(b), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption
Act, 1988.
3. The allegations are that there were large-scale
irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy and
functioning of the Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation
Limited from 2019 to 2024. These irregularities included
discrimination and manipulation of the allocation of Orders
for Supply, giving preferential treatment to some brands at
the cost of others. The entire episode has been captioned as
the “Andhra Pradesh Liquor Scam”.