A special court dedicated to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) cases in Hazaribag delivered a significant verdict on Wednesday, denying bail to senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Vinay Choubey. The officer remains incarcerated in connection with a major forest land allocation scandal that occurred during his tenure as the district's deputy commissioner.
Court Upholds Detention in Dual Scam Cases
The bail petition was rejected after the court considered arguments from both sides earlier in the week. On Monday, the court reserved its order following hearings presented by ACB's special public prosecutor, Anurag Kumar Singh, and the defense counsel for Choubey, Shankar Banerjee. The final decision to keep Choubey in judicial custody was pronounced two days later.
This legal setback adds to the officer's mounting troubles. Choubey is already a named accused in the high-profile Jharkhand liquor scam, for which the ACB had previously arrested him. His alleged involvement in the forest land scam was formally recorded by the ACB on November 10, significantly expanding the scope of the charges against him.
Details of the Hazaribag Forest Land Scam
The alleged corruption pertains to irregularities in forest land deals that are said to have taken place while Choubey served as the deputy commissioner of Hazaribag. The ACB initiated its probe with a preliminary inquiry, the findings of which led to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) by the Ranchi wing of the bureau.
The case casts a wide net, implicating a total of 73 individuals as accused. Notable names alongside Choubey include his close aide Vinay Singh, Singh's wife Snigdha Singh, local Hazaribag MLA Pradeep Prasad, the then circle officer Shailesh Kumar, and a broker identified as Vijay Singh. This extensive list points to the scale and complexity of the alleged scam.
Current Custody and Legal Path Ahead
Following the court's order, Vinay Choubey continues to be lodged at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribag. The rejection of his bail plea indicates the court's view on the potential seriousness of the charges and the need for a thorough investigation without obstruction.
The consecutive legal challenges in both the liquor and forest land scams mark a severe crisis in the career of the senior bureaucrat. The development underscores the ongoing crackdown on corruption within the state's administrative and political circles. All eyes will now be on the subsequent hearings as the ACB works to present its full evidence before the court.
