The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail petition of former Hazaribag deputy commissioner (DC) and suspended IAS officer Vinay Choubey. Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary, after hearing the petition at length, reserved the order, which was pronounced on Tuesday.
Case Background
Choubey had preferred an application for bail before the high court in a case registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau during his tenure as deputy commissioner in Hazaribag. It has been alleged that Choubey was involved in the illegal sale of sewayat lands in the district. He also interpolated records of forest lands and had the nature of the land changed through fake documents. The lands were then transferred to his aide Vinay Singh. As many as five plots of forest land were illegally transferred in favour of Singh.
Investigation and Custody
The matter was exposed in 2013, after which all the revenue records created for the forest lands were cancelled and a probe was set up by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The bureau conducted a detailed investigation and obtained the sanction to prosecute Choubey from the government in September last year. He has been in custody since May 20, 2025.
Other Cases
Choubey is also an accused in the liquor scam in which he has already been granted bail by a lower court for non-submission of the charge sheet within the stipulated time.
