What led to the arrest of Jharkhand's former Excise Secretary Chaubey and an excise official?

Ranchi, May 20 (NationPress) - In a significant development in the ongoing liquor scam, Jharkhand's IAS officer and ex-Excise Secretary Vinay Kumar Chaubey, along with Joint Excise Commissioner Gajendra Singh, was apprehended by the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday evening. This action came after extensive hours of questioning by the ACB.

Both officials were subsequently presented before a special ACB court in Ranchi, which ordered their judicial custody until June 3.

They were then transported to Birsa Munda Central Jail located in Hotwar.

This marks the first instance in over 15 years where the ACB has initiated such a significant action against a high-ranking serving IAS officer in Jharkhand.

Chaubey, who is currently serving as Principal Secretary in the Panchayati Raj Department, previously held pivotal roles, including Secretary of the Excise Department and Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Early Tuesday, ACB officials conducted a raid at Chaubey’s residence and summoned him to their office for interrogation around 11 a.m. Later that day, Joint Excise Commissioner Singh was also called in for questioning.

The focus of the interrogation revolved around alleged irregularities in the 2022 excise policy, which was modeled after Chhattisgarh’s framework, during Chaubey's tenure as Excise Secretary.

Investigations have linked Jharkhand's liquor scam to a larger scheme uncovered in Chhattisgarh, where officials from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and later the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched inquiries into the roles of state marketing corporation officials and liquor entrepreneurs.

According to the ED, the syndicate responsible for the scam in Chhattisgarh replicated its operations in Jharkhand. In response, the ED summoned Chaubey, who denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the policy had government approval.

Allegations suggest that modifications to Jharkhand's excise policy benefited the syndicate, allowing them to secure crucial contracts, including those related to liquor supply and the hologram system, resulting in substantial financial losses for the state.

A complaint was subsequently filed with Chhattisgarh’s EOW, claiming the same liquor syndicate orchestrated a meticulously planned scam in Jharkhand, manipulating the excise policy to favor suppliers from Chhattisgarh.

In light of this, the ED registered an ECIR and executed raids, including one at Chaubey’s premises, in October 2024.

The Jharkhand ACB initiated a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) after receiving approval from the state government.

Based on PE findings, an FIR was lodged, leading to the interrogation of Chaubey and Singh.

Following a medical examination at around 3.30 p.m., both were arrested and brought before the court, which mandated a 14-day judicial custody.