Virendra Gahwai, Bilaspur. Former IAS Ranu Sahu’s difficulties have increased in the Chhattisgarh coal scam case. The High Court on Friday pronounced a safe decision of his 2 anticipatory bail plea. The single bench of Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas has rejected Ranu Sahu’s bail plea in the hearing in view of the seriousness of the crime.
Photo: Former IAS Ranu Sahu
Let me tell you, Ranu Sahu is lodged in the Central Jail of Raipur in the Cole Levi scam case. He has two separate cases registered under sections 13 (2) and 13 (1) (B) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and sections 120B and 420 of IPC and Section 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. In this, 2 bail petitions were filed by his lawyer to avoid possible arrest, on which the verdict was reserved on 31 January 2025. At present, the court has refused to give him relief.
According to the complaint lodged against former IAS Ranu Sahu in the Anti -Corruption Bureau and the Economic Offenses Branch, he is accused that he and his family have disproportionate assets. Also, he helped Suryakant Tiwari’s coal levy syndicate. This syndicate used to make illegal recovery of Rs 25 per ton of Rs 25 for issuing permits on coal delivery order. The complaint said that from 2015 to October 2022, the applicant and his family bought 24 immovable properties. From 2011 to 2022, he received Rs 92 lakh as salary, while he bought assets worth Rs 3.93 crore. On this basis, an FIR was registered under the sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Apart from this, another case has also been registered.
Also read: Chhattisgarh Coal Scam: Supreme Court gave interim bail to Ranu Sahu, Soumya Chaurasia and Suryakant Tiwari… Know what is the coal scam case:
In Chhattisgarh, illegal coal levy recovery of Rs 570 crore was revealed in the raid of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED claims that IAS Sameer Bishnoi, the then Director of the Department of Minerals, issued an order on 15 July 2020, offering the online permit in coal transport, so that it could be recovered from traders. At the same time, the mastermind of this scam is considered to be the coal trader Suryakant Tiwari, on which the suspended Deputy Secretary Soumya Chaurasia was handed over.
According to the ED, Suryakant Tiwari had created a syndicate to recover illegal money at Rs 25 per ton. Only after recovering illegal money from traders, they were issued peat pass and transport passes from the Department of Minerals. The investigation of this case is going on and action is being taken against the officials and traders concerned.