Chhattisgarh IAS officer, 2 others sent to ED custody in money laundering case

The case is linked to the alleged extortion of illegal levy from coal and mining transporters in Chhattisgarh

A court in Raipur on Thursday sent a Chhattisgarh cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and two others to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for eight days in a money laundering case linked to the alleged extortion of illegal levy from coal and mining transporters in the state.

ED on Thursday arrested Sameer Vishnoi, a 2009 batch IAS officer. (Representative Image)

The trio was arrested by ED on Thursday morning.

Additional district and session Judge Ajay Singh Rajput sent IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, businessman Sunil Agrawal and Laxmikant Tiwari to custody as they were produced before it, after being arrested by ED this morning.

ED’s counsel Ramakant Mishra sought 14 days custody but the court granted eight. ED’s counsel argued that they need more time for questioning.

ED on Thursday arrested IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, businessman Sunil Agrawal, who owns Indermani group, and Laxmikant Tiwari, uncle of “absconding” businessman Suryakant Tiwari, after it launched multi-city raids in the state on October 11.

The trio has been arrested under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.

“We have also pointed out that they were supposed to produce my client within 24 hours but they have illegally detained him. They picked my client on October 11 and produced him on October 13 hence the Constitutional rights of my client has been violated. Moreover, their (ED) proceeding is forged and it is anti-dated so rather the fingers are pointed out on ED,” said Faizal Rizvi, Tiwari’s advocate.

Rizvi further said ED is talking about some uncounted cash so he had pointed out the judgment of Vijay Madanlal Choudhary vs Union of India on 27 July, 2022 that it is the job of the income tax department, therefore the cour t concerned does not have the jurisdiction, because the alleged offence does not find place in the schedule of offences provided in the PLMA.

Vishnoi, an IAS officer of the 2009 batch, is currently the CEO of the Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society and ex officio special secretary of the electronics and information technology department. Vishnoi also has additional charge of managing director of Chhattisgarh state cooperative marketing federation (Markfed).

Vishnoi had earlier served as the director of geology and mining department and managing director of Chhattisgarh mineral development corporation (CMDC) during the incumbent Congress government.

The other accused Laxmikant Tiwari is an advocate and uncle of coal businessman Suryakant Tiwari, whose premises were also raided, and said to be close to many politicians.

The third accused, Sunil Agrawal, director of Indermani Group, which deals in coal trading, is said to be closely associated with Suryakant Tiwari.

It is worth mentioning that ED has also sealed the residence of IAS officer and Raigarh district collector Ranu Sahu as she was not available during the raids that began on Tuesday. On Thursday, Sahu informed the agency that she was undergoing a medical procedure and has assured cooperation in the investigation. Separate teams of ED conducted raids at Sahu’s premises on Thursday.

The premises of another IAS officer J P Maurya, presently posted as the director of the mining department, was also covered in the searches by ED. Maurya is the husband of Sahu.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday hit out at the Centre over the ED raids, saying the probe agencies should not be misused for political mileage or to defame the state government.

“This is just to destabilise the non-BJP governments. The ED raids are going on in every state where the BJP is not in power,” said Baghel.

Former chief minister of the state and BJP leader Raman Singh also joined the issue on Wednesday saying (Baghel) is an ‘ATM of Sonia Gandhi’ and also claimed that an ‘illegal levy’ of ₹25 per tonne is being collected for coal transportation in Chhattisgarh.