Jharkhand Liquor Rip-off: HC Rejects Bail Plea Of Suspended IAS Officer Vinay Chaubey | India Information
In a serious setback to suspended senior IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, the Jharkhand Excessive Court docket on Thursday rejected his bail plea in reference to the multi-crore liquor rip-off.
The matter was heard by Justice Sanjay Dwivedi, with Advocate Devesh Azmani representing Vinay Chaubey.
The plea not solely sought bail but additionally challenged the validity of the FIR lodged by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the following arrest, urging the courtroom to quash all associated felony proceedings.
Chaubey, a 2003-batch IAS officer, accused of misusing his official place, was arrested by the ACB on Could 20 this 12 months after almost six hours of interrogation. He was later suspended following the arrest, as in keeping with authorities service guidelines, any official held in custody for over 48 hours is liable to be suspended from service.
He’s amongst 13 accused named within the FIR, which spans throughout Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. To date, 10 folks have been arrested and despatched to judicial custody within the case.
Vinay Chaubey has beforehand served in a number of key positions, together with Secretary of the Jharkhand Excise and Prohibition Division and Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
The alleged rip-off traces again to 2022, when the Jharkhand authorities launched a brand new excise coverage on the mannequin of Chhattisgarh’s framework. To execute the coverage, an settlement was signed with the Chhattisgarh State Advertising Company Restricted.
Investigations revealed that tender situations had been allegedly manipulated to profit a particular liquor syndicate. This syndicate, in collusion with officers of a Chhattisgarh-based marketing consultant firm, secured contracts for liquor provide and the state’s hologram system.
Authorities allege that the financial institution ensures submitted by the successful corporations had been faux, resulting in large income losses. An inside audit of the Jharkhand State Drinks Company Restricted discovered that seven businesses had defrauded the state exchequer of Rs 129.55 crore.
