Vinay Kumar Choubey, an IAS officer facing charges in the Jharkhand liquor scam, has been granted bail by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court. The alleged scam, which involves an estimated 100 crore rupees, has resulted in a loss of approximately 38 crore rupees in revenue for the state government. Choubey’s lawyer, Devesh Ajmani, attributed the bail to the ACB’s failure to file a charge sheet within the prescribed 90-day period.
The court’s order stipulates that Choubey cannot leave the state without prior authorization, must maintain his current mobile number throughout the trial, and must provide two personal bonds of 25,000 rupees each. Any travel outside the state requires court approval.
Choubey, a senior IAS officer from the 1999 batch, was questioned by the ACB on May 20th regarding the liquor scam. Following the interrogation, he was presented in court and remanded to judicial custody.
The scam is linked to a new excise policy implemented in Jharkhand in 2022, modeled after the Chhattisgarh system. Despite its intended purpose of increasing revenue, the policy led to a loss of over 38 crore rupees for the state. Factors contributing to this loss include the involvement of a Chhattisgarh-based syndicate, the use of fake holograms, and the illicit distribution of liquor.
In October 2024, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the premises of Vinay Kumar Choubey and others, including Joint Secretary Gajendra Singh, as part of the ongoing investigation. Following the bail, Babulal Marandi, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and current Leader of the Opposition, expressed concern on social media platform X. He stated that the ACB intentionally delayed filing the charge sheet against Choubey within the 90-day timeframe, which, according to him, facilitated the bail. Marandi further alleged that the previous government orchestrated the arrest of Choubey to hamper the ED investigation and destroy evidence. He called on the ED to take stringent action against those involved in the alleged corruption and theft of public funds. Choubey previously held key positions in the state government, including Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Chief Electoral Officer of Jharkhand.