In a significant development, the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has initiated a formal case against unidentified government employees of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. The case pertains to the alleged illegal encroachment and mutation of prime institutional land.
High Court Directive Triggers Action
The move by the ACB comes as a direct consequence of a stern directive from the Jharkhand High Court. A division bench led by Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, while hearing a public interest litigation on December 20 last year, had ordered the state government to fix accountability on every official involved in the malpractice. The court explicitly instructed the state police to file an FIR and mandated the ACB to conduct a thorough investigation.
Details of the Alleged Conspiracy
According to sources within the ACB, the registration and mutation of the valuable RIMS land were executed as part of a criminal conspiracy. The rules were deliberately compromised to convert government land into private property, causing significant loss to the public exchequer. An FIR has now been officially lodged under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Corruption Act. A probe is underway to identify and subsequently arrest the accused individuals involved in this scheme.
Court's Stance on Compensation and Departmental Action
The High Court bench made several crucial observations and orders. It stated that residents, whose illegally built constructions on RIMS land were demolished, should be adequately compensated. Importantly, the court ordered that the compensation expenses must be borne by the erring officials and the builders, not the state. The court also mandated departmental proceedings against any official found involved, noting that public suffering due to demolitions could have been avoided if these officials had been vigilant. While refraining from handing over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for now, the court has kept a watchful eye on the proceedings.
Following the High Court's reprimand, the Ranchi district administration has been actively conducting an anti-encroachment drive on the disputed RIMS land. The ACB's case marks a critical step in unraveling the network behind this land scam and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
