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Chhattisgarh officer Soumya Chaurasia has 45 benami properties, says EOW charge sheet
The Economic Offences Wing said it has filed the charge sheet under the Prevention of Corruption Act before the Special Court (PC Act) in Raipur
RAIPUR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Tuesday formally charged Chhattisgarh Administrative Service (CAS) officer Soumya Chaurasia of amassing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the agency said on Tuesday.
In an 8,000-page charge sheet, EOW linked Chowrasia, a 2008-batch officer who was previously posted in the chief minister’s office during the tenure of Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, to 45 benami properties that it alleged were held by the civil servant in the name of her family members and other associates.
EOW filed the charge sheet before the Special Court (PC Act) in Raipur.
According to the charge sheet, Chaurasia allegedly made benami investments in about 45 immovable properties in the name of her relatives and other associates. The agency put the value of the assets at about ₹49.69 crore, which it alleged were bought primarily through corrupt means while serving in key administrative positions, including as deputy secretary to former CM Bhupesh Baghel.
Officials said that Chaurasia’s legitimate income during her 17-year career — from her initial posting as deputy collector in Bilaspur district and earlier as an accounts officer in 2005 — was assessed at only ₹2.51 crore.
EOW officials said this was the most significant disproportionate assets case in the agency’s history.
According to EOW, the maximum investments were made between 2019 and 2022, during her tenure as chief minister.
Chaurasia is already under investigation for multiple corruption cases related to coal, District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds, and other corruption-linked offences, as well as for multiple financial irregularities.
Officials said the chargesheet has incorporated extensive documentary, financial, and digital evidence, along with testimonies from several witnesses linking the assets to proceeds of corruption.
