Chhattisgarh court rejects bail of CM’s ex-deputy secy in money laundering case

Chhattisgarh chief minister’s former Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia was arrested on December 2, 2022 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged coal levy scam in the state

Published on: Jan 20, 2023, 19:06:30 IST

By Ritesh Mishra

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A Raipur court on Friday rejected the bail plea of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s former deputy secretary Saumya Chaurasia in a money laundering case linked to the alleged coal levy scam in the state.

Chaurasia was arrested on December 2, 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate ( ED) under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was later produced in the court.

“We had filed a bail petition of Chaurasia and after arguments the court has rejected the bail. The ground of the rejection was incomplete investigation of the case,” said Faizal Rizvi, Chaurasia’s counsel.

Earlier, the ED, claiming that at least ₹540 crore was extorted in the last two years, had attached movable and immovable properties worth ₹152.31 crore belonging to accused including Chaurasia in the money laundering case linked to the alleged coal levy scam.

The ED had in a statement claimed that a “massive scam” was taking place in coal transportation in Chhattisgarh, under which a “cartel” of politicians, officers and others was allegedly running a “parallel system of extorting illegal levy”, which is generating about ₹2-3 crore daily.

The ED had conducted searches at more than 75 locations including the Mining Departments at collector offices of Korba and Raighad and collected incriminating evidence. In October last year, the agency arrested IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and others after the agency launched multi-city raids in the state.

The agency recorded statements of around 100 individuals and the investigation revealed that as part of a grand conspiracy, policy changes were made and mining director issued a government order on July 15, 2020 to modify an existing efficient online system of issuance of transport permits, to introduce a manual layer where coal users were forced to apply for no-objection certificate (NOC) with state mining officers.

The probe agency has claimed that the “main kingpin of this scam is Suryakant Tiwari and his associates who entered into a criminal conspiracy to run a parallel system of extorting illegal levy on coal and were doing illegal and unaccounted cash movement”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ritesh Mishra
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India. Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism. Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting. His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.Read More

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