In a significant development, IAS officer Vinay Kumar Choubey, who was incarcerated in connection with the Jharkhand liquor scam, has been granted bail by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court. The scam, estimated at 100 crore, reportedly caused a loss of approximately 38 crore in revenue to the state. Devesh Ajmani, Choubey’s counsel, stated that the ACB did not file a chargesheet within the 90-day limit, prompting a default bail plea. The court has stipulated that Choubey must remain within the state’s boundaries without prior approval and must not change his phone number throughout the duration of the trial. He is also required to submit two personal bonds, each valued at 25,000 rupees. Should Choubey need to travel outside the state, he must first obtain permission from the court.
Vinay Kumar Choubey, a senior IAS officer from the 1999 batch, was summoned by the ACB on May 20 for questioning related to the liquor scam. Following extensive questioning, he was presented before the court and placed in judicial custody. The new excise policy in Jharkhand, modeled on the Chhattisgarh system, was introduced in 2022. Although it was intended to increase state revenue, the policy resulted in a loss of around 38 crore. This loss was linked to a Chhattisgarh-based syndicate, the use of fraudulent holograms, and the illegal supply of liquor.
In October 2024, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the residences of Vinay Kumar Choubey, Joint Secretary Gajendra Singh, and others connected to the scam. Following Choubey’s bail, Babulal Marandi, the former Chief Minister and now the Leader of the Opposition in Jharkhand, criticized the development on social media. He alleged that the ACB deliberately delayed filing the chargesheet within the 90-day period to facilitate Choubey’s bail. Marandi further claimed that the former Hemant Soren government orchestrated the arrest of its former secretary to obstruct the ED investigation and destroy evidence. He urged the ED to take firm action against the corrupt individuals involved in the embezzlement of public funds. Choubey previously served as the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and as the Chief Electoral Officer of Jharkhand.