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Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
6 key accused in Chhattisgarh ‘coal scam' freed from jail after SC grants bail
RAIPUR: Two days after being granted interim bail by Supreme Court, six accused in the Rs 570 crore coal-levy scam in Chhattisgarh -- including suspended IAS officers Ranu Sahu and Sameer Vishnoi, and former deputy secretary in then CM Bhupesh Baghel's office, Saumya Chaurasia -- walked out of Raipur jail on Saturday morning. While the apex court had approved their bail on Thursday, officials say their release was delayed by a day due to late arrival of formal release orders at the prison. Businessmen Rajnikant Tiwari, Virendra Jaiswal and Sandeep Nayak are the other three released from prison. Family members of the accused were present outside the prison to receive them. The SC bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta granted bail to eight accused, but six were released on Saturday. Two others — businessman Suryakant Tiwari, alleged kingpin of the scam, and Nikhil Chandrakar — remain in custody due to pending cases. SC directed that all released individuals must leave Chhattisgarh immediately and must not reside in the state until further orders, citing concerns about potential witness tampering. They are required to submit their passports to the special court, provide their residential address outside Chhattisgarh within a week, inform local police of their new address, cooperate fully with investigation agencies and appear in court whenever required. While Chaurasia spent nearly two and a half years in prison, Vishnoi was behind bars around a month longer, and Sahu for just over 22 months. Reacting to their release, Chhattisgarh minister Ramvichar Netam said, 'Getting bail doesn't mean the crime didn't happen. The investigation will continue and more names will surface.' Minister Kedar Kashyap added, 'Those involved in corruption will keep going in and out of jail. Even Congress leaders are on bail. The guilty will not be spared.' Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that the scam involves a 'syndicate' of a section of politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen who extorted money from coal transporters, generating over Rs 570 crore in illegal levies. The alleged scam involved turning online transport permits into offline ones — a move authorized on July 15, 2020, by then mining director Sameer Vishnoi — which allowed selective issuance of permits in exchange for bribes. Coal traders were allegedly forced to pay Rs 25 per ton to receive transport clearances. Tiwari, according to ED, collected the money through his employees and coordinated with officials for smooth issuance of permits. Those complying with the extortion were allegedly rewarded with permits from the mining department. Defence counsel Faizal Rizvi on Friday told the Press that SC has issued release of eight persons but as of now six of them are getting released, while other two, businessmen Suryakant Tiwari and Nikhil Chandrakar is still pending due to other cases against them and they will continue to remain in judicial custody.
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Business Standard
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
SC interim bail for 3 bureaucrats, 3 others in Chhattisgarh coal-levy scam
Two days after being granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the Chhattisgarh coal-levy scam case, two suspended IAS officers and a former deputy secretary in the chief minister's office walked out of jail on Saturday. Defence counsel Faizal Rizvi told reporters that Sameer Vishnoi and Ranu Sahu, both IAS officers, and Saumya Chaurasia, a deputy secretary in the CMO during the previous Bhupesh Baghel government, and three others were released from Raipur central jail. The SC has granted interim bail to eight persons, of whom two individuals Suryakant Tiwari and Nikhil Chandrakar have not been released (due to other pending cases), he said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been probing the money laundering angle in the alleged coal-levy scam since 2022, had arrested Vishnoi in October 2022 and Chaurasia in December the same year. The central agency had taken Sahu into custody in July 2023. Rizvi said the bureaucrat trio has been granted interim bail in the two cases related to the alleged coal-levy scam, one each registered by the ED and the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). A Supreme Court bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta on Thursday imposed several conditions on the accused while granting them interim bail and asked the state government to generate confidence among the witnesses and ensure their protection. The SC has directed Sahu, Vishnoi and Chaurasia not to stay in Chhattisgarh till further orders, except when they are required to be present before the investigating agency or the trial court. They are also directed to furnish the addresses of their stay outside the state of Chhattisgarh to the jurisdictional police station within one week of their release, the bench has ordered. According to investigative agencies, an illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in the state by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen (during the previous Congress government). A syndicate comprising private individuals like Tiwari and state government functionaries, including Chaurasia, Vishnoi and mining officers, with political backing, allegedly made policy changes concerning mineral transportation. As per hand diaries, Rs 540 crore was extorted in cash by the coal cartel between July 2020 and June 2022. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Wire
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Himanta Justifies Govt's Strategy of Pushing Back ‘Foreigners' Into Bangladesh, Cites SC Order
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Politics Himanta Justifies Govt's Strategy of Pushing Back 'Foreigners' Into Bangladesh, Cites SC Order The Wire Staff 6 minutes ago Sarma added that the government has decided to expedite the process of 'detecting foreigners' in the state. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Photo: X/@himantabiswa. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has confirmed that the state is pushing those who have been declared foreigners by the state's foreigners tribunals (FTs) into Bangladesh, across the international border. Sarma on Friday (May 30) invoked a February 4 Supreme Court order to justify the actions of the state government. The Supreme Court had rapped the state in February for not initiating the process of deporting 'declared foreigners' lodged in the Matia detention camp. 'You know that there is a Supreme Court case, and the Supreme Court had directed us that those who are declared foreigners have to be returned (to their country of origin) through whatever means. The people who are declared foreigners but haven't even appealed in court, we are pushing them back. If among them, some people tell us that they have appeals in the High Court or Supreme Court, then we are not troubling them,' said Sarma on Friday, reported Indian Express. Sarma added that the government has decided to expedite the process of 'detecting foreigners' in the state. 'So in the next few days, pushbacks will also be there, detection will also be done, and the Union government will also send some people to Bangladesh in coordination with the Bangladesh government,' said Sarma. Sarma added the process will not be applied to people who have pending pending appeals against the cases in the FTs. However, the Assam Chief Minister said that those who have not yet challenged it have 'forfeited their right to stay in Assam.' At the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, hundreds of undocumented migrants have been sent back to Bangladesh through the eastern border as part of the government's 'push back' strategy. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Assam 'Re-Arrests': NHRC Complaint, Pleas in Courts Reflect Fears of Forced Deportation Why the SC-Ordered Probe Into Assam's Fake Encounters Is Significant Gaurav Gogoi on Assam CM's 'Snooping' Allegations: 'Nothing But A Cover for His Illegal Activities' Opposition Decries Assam Govt Scheme Giving Gun Licenses to Indigenous People in Six Districts How Satellite Images Contradict Himanta Biswa Sarma's Claims on Rat-Hole Mining Over 700 Undocumented Bangladeshi Migrants in Delhi Sent Back in Last Six Months India 'Pushing Back' Undocumented Bangladesh Nationals, 300 Migrants Sent Back this Month: Report 'Regressive Mindset': Congress Files Multiple Complaints Against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Modi Govt's Honouring Upen Brahma In Delhi Must Not Be Politicised: All Bodo Students' Union Chief About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘When country faces crises, Constitution keeps us united,' says CJI Gavai, cites BR Ambedkar's reply
Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai said on Saturday during an event that The Constitution had ensured that whenever India faced a crisis, the country remained united and strong. CJI Gavai was addressing a function after the inauguration of advocate chambers and multi-level parking at the Allahabad high court. Also Read: Govt notifies appointment of 3 SC judges day after president Murmu's approval 'When the Constitution was being made and its final draft was presented before the Constituent Assembly, at that time some people used to say that the Constitution is too federal while some used to say that it is too unitary,' PTI news agency quoted CJI Gavai as saying. "Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar had replied that the Constitution is neither wholly federal nor wholly unitary. But one thing I can tell you is that we have given a Constitution which will keep India united and strong both in times of peace and war," CJI Gavai added. Also Read: 'Aamchi' vs 'Tyanchi' Mumbai: CJI Gavai explains gap between the two in Supreme Court He stated that India has been on the path of development after independence due to the Constitution, and compared India to neighbouring countries and their experience of development. Also Read: CJI Gavai displeased over protocol lapse "Today we see what is the condition of our neighbouring countries. And India is making a journey towards development after independence. Whenever there has been a crisis in the country, it has remained united and strong. The credit for this should be given to the Constitution," he said. CJI Gavai, during the gathering, also emphasised that it was the fundamental duty of the government to reached out every last citizen in the country. "It is our fundamental duty to reach out to the last citizen of this country who needs justice. Be it the legislature, the executive or the judiciary everyone has to reach out to that citizen," the CJI said. He also stated, 'I have always been saying that the bar and the bench are two sides of the same coin. Unless the bar and the bench work together, the chariot of justice cannot move forward.' The Chief Justice of India praised the Allahabad high court for being a role model for the country, citing the incident where the judges vacated 12 bungalows for the construction of a complex for lawyers.
Hans India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
Solar power lights up Naravaripalle
Tirupati: Naravaripalle, the native village of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Chandragiri mandal of the district, has no doubt transformed quietly into a showcase of his vision of ushering in clean energy across the state so much so that nearly every home there doubles up as a solar power unit. Around 1,600 of the 2,300 households in the village cluster have already installed rooftop solar panels, excluding homes with structural limitations. Thus, this village is now not just the centrepiece of the scheme in the Tirupati district, where a total of 2,094 homes have adopted solar, but also a compelling example of what all is possible when public awareness, political will, and administrative support converge. On the flip side, however, it reflects the administration's studied focus on the Chief Minister's native district even as the broader rollout across the State mirrors a less appealing, if not an appalling, story. Under the Union government's PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMY), launched in February 2023, subsidies up to Rs.78,000 are offered for rooftop solar installations. The response of the public, except in designated pilot areas, has been lukewarm. In Chittoor district, for instance, close to 50,000 people have registered, 95 per cent of them from SC/ST communities; yet, only 268 installations have been done. Notably, 95 of these are from Nadimuru village in Kuppam mandal. In another pilot area inaugurated by the Chief Minister in January 2025, the initial traction has not gained momentum. Overall, people in Tirupati have shown strong interest, with over 63,500 applications, including nearly 60,000 from SC/ST communities, which have been assured that both state and central governments will fully cover their installation costs. Tenders for this phase are expected to be floated shortly. In contrast, the uptake among other social categories remains low. Key deterrents include the need for upfront payment, grey areas in the subsidy disbursement process, and lack of visible short-term benefits. Many of the consumers remain either partially or fully unaware of the procedures or are hesitant to invest in a scheme that they don't fully understand as yet. Officially speaking, applicants must navigate a multi-step process: register on the national portal, submit documentation (electricity bill, address, bank details), pay a registration fee, choose from approved vendors, and wait for DISCOM officials to install a smart meter. The subsidy is disbursed only after the completed project is photographed and uploaded. This process, which looks simple on paper, is proving cumbersome in practice, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. Officials from the Southern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited (SPDCL) and New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd (NREDCAP) are now being urged to proactively address public concerns, raise awareness, and simplify the procedures. All told, in the absence of targeted outreach and trust-building efforts across all communities, the larger vision of statewide solar adoption leaves much to be desired.
