Ahead of Jharkhand elections, ED conducts raids on senior IAS officials in liquor ‘scam’

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday morning conducted raids on premises linked to senior IAS officers in a money laundering case related to an alleged liquor racket in Ranchi and Jharkhand. ED officials carried out the raids against senior Jharkhand IAS officer Vinay Chaubey, excise department joint secretary Gajendra Singh, and some of their close relatives, liquor traders and other officials in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The ED raids come with barely a fortnight to go for the 2024 Jharkhand elections. The raids were carried out at at least 15 locations. The money laundering case is related to an alleged liquor policy scam from 2022, when Choubey was the principal secretary to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. He is now the principal secretary of the Panchayati Raj department.

The ED took cognizance of the case following an FIR by neighboring Chhattisgarh police. The FIR was lodged against seven persons.

What is the Jharkhand liquor policy ‘scam’?

The Jharkhand Liquor Policy Scam involves allegations of a “conspiracy” by an excise syndicate. The Anti-Corruption Bureau of Chhattisgarh Police has alleged that policy changes have been made in Jharkhand’s excise policy as part of a conspiracy. After this, the tender for Indian and foreign liquor in the state was also given to the people who were part of the syndicate.

In Jharkhand, country liquor with double holograms was allegedly sold without any account. In addition, the work of supplying foreign liquor was transferred to agencies close to the “syndicate people” by changing the rules in the requirements section of FL 10 A licensing requirements. As per the new rules, an applicant for a wholesale license had to achieve a turnover of Rs 100 crore for two consecutive financial years.

Crores of rupees illegally changed hands as part of the transactions in the alleged liquor scam, the ACB alleged.