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Time of India
20-05-2025
- Time of India
Principal secy, joint commissioner arrested in liquor ‘scam'
Ranchi: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the state on Tuesday arrested the principal secretary of panchayat raj department, Vinay Kumar Choubey, and the joint commissioner of the state excise department, Gajendra Kumar Singh, in connection with an alleged liquor scam in the state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Choubey, a 1999 batch IAS, served as the state excise department secretary and managing director of the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited during the previous Hemant Soren govt, which brought in a new excise policy. Around 11 am on Tuesday, ACB sleuths visited Choubey and took him to the ACB office for questioning. Singh, too, was brought for the same reason to the ACB office. After around five hours of questioning, both were formally arrested at the ACB office. From there, they were produced before the special ACB court, which remanded them in judicial custody till June 3. ACB registered a case (9/25) on Tuesday in connection with the alleged scam, accusing the officials of misusing their posts to select placement agencies under the liquor policy without following the provisions. The officials allegedly deceived the state govt and committed a crime, leading to a loss of Rs 38 crore to the state exchequer, the ACB said in its official statement. The case against Choubey, Singh and others were lodged under sections 61 (2) read with 318, 336, 340, 316, 45 and 49 of the BNS and sections 7(c), 12, 13 (2), read with 13 (1) (a) of hthe Prevention of Corruption Act. The step was taken following approval of the state cabinet secretariat and the vigilance department. During the hearing, ACB special public prosecutor Alok Kumar argued that the accused persons be sent to judicial custody and the arrest was made after allegations against them were found true. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He said the case was registered under non-bailable and cognizable sections of both the rules. Talking to media persons after the hearing, defence advocate Devesh Ajmani said that the prosecution has not provided any document related to the grounds for arresting his clients. He said, "Since Choubey is suffering from ailments, the court has said proper care must be taken in this regard." In October 2024, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also carried out raids on the premises of Choubey and Singh in connection with the liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. Besides being the excise secretary, Choubey had also served as chief minister Hemant Soren's secretary during CM's previous tenure between 2019 and 2024 and is considered one of the prominent bureaucrats in the state. He had also served as Ranchi DC and helmed several key departments in the past. Choubey's arrest also marks ACB's first arrest of a top bureaucrat in any case. Last week, the Hemant cabinet gave its nod for a new excise policy as part of which it has once again decided to give the retail liquor business to private players while the wholesale trade will still be with the govt. The incumbent excise secretary, Manoj Kumar, said the new policy was necessitated due to fiscal losses, issues in the management and transparency of the liquor trade. Reacting to the development, opposition BJP claimed that it was the Hemant govt's attempt to dilute the case and avert a probe by central agencies. In a statement, state BJP president Babulal Marandi said, "I had written a letter to the chief minister in April 2022 itself and warned him about the liquor scams taking place in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The govt not only ignored my letter and warnings but also helped in carrying out the liquor scam worth thousands of crores in Jharkhand to benefit the liquor mafia of Chhattisgarh. " He added, "The entire cabinet of the Hemant govt enjoyed the Raipur tour in the past at the expense of the same liquor mafia. Now, when action is being taken in Chhattisgarh and the matter has reached ED and CBI, how can the investigation being conducted by ACB in Jharkhand be trusted? It appears that due to fear of the ongoing CBI investigation in Chhattisgarh, some small fry are made scapegoats to save the big fish. If Hemant ji really wants to bring out the truth of the scam and has the courage, then he should order a CBI investigation into the matter. "
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Cabinet gives nod to retail liquor sale by private players in state
1 2 Ranchi: The cabinet of chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday approved a proposal of the state excise and prohibitions department which will pave the way for the retail sale of liquor in Jharkhand by private players. The ministerial council approved a new policy titled Jharkhand Excise (Settlement and Operation of Shops for Retail Sale of Liquor) Rules, 2025 to this effect. Wholesale liquor sales will be controlled by the state-run Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited ( JSBCL ). Thursday's move is a shift from the arrangement which was in effect since 2019 whereby the JSBCL controlled retail liquor sales statewide. However, the arrangement was scrapped as it failed to meet revenue expectations. Talking to the media after the cabinet meeting, excise secretary Manoj Kumar said, "There were some implementation issues due to manpower crunch due to which the retail liquor shops will be privatised now. If all goes well, we hope to implement the new change within a month." On the issue of pricing, he added, "Of about 500 brands of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), there will be a marginal hike in prices in some about 300 odd brands. " Kumar said 1,443 shops statewide have been identified for privatisation in the initial phase. "One can take a maximum of 12 shops in one district and 36 across the state," he said. Reacting to new excise policy, BJP spokesperson Ajay Sahu said that it is aimed at another liquor scam in Jharkhand.
