Chhattisgarh businessman, retired IAS officer granted bail in Jharkhand liquor scam case

Ranchi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Ranchi on Friday granted bail to Chhattisgarh businessman Siddharth Singhania and retired IAS officer Amit Prakash in the alleged multi-crore Jharkhand liquor scam.

The ACB court had reserved its order on Thursday after hearing detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the defence on Singhania’s bail plea. The verdict, delivered on Friday, extended relief to the two accused.

Earlier, the same court had granted bail to suspended IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, a former Secretary to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and two Excise Department officials implicated in the case.

The ACB has yet to file a charge sheet in the case despite the lapse of 90 days since the registration of the FIR and arrest of the key accused. As a result, the arrested persons have been able to secure release under the provisions of default bail.

Singhania, a prominent liquor businessman from Raipur, was arrested on June 19 after a raid at his residence. He was then brought to Ranchi on transit remand for interrogation.

Amit Prakash, a retired Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, was taken into custody on June 17 after failing to respond to summonses for questioning.

During investigations into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, raids at Singhania’s Raipur residence led to the recovery of a diary that, according to the ACB, contained details of a "syndicate conspiracy" in Jharkhand.

The diary allegedly contained entries on strategies to influence Excise officials, "manage" obstacles in the liquor trade, and secure political and administrative patronage for the cartel.

So far, the ACB has named 16 individuals in the Jharkhand liquor scam, of whom 12 have been arrested. However, with Friday’s order, most of the accused -- including senior bureaucrats and businessmen -- have now been released on bail.

--IANS

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