RANCHI: In yet another setback for IAS Vinay Kumar Chaubey, the Jharkhand High Court denied him bail in the Jharkhand liquor scam case on Thursday. In his bail application, Chaubey had challenged the FIR filed against him by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and his subsequent arrest, urging the court to quash the charges and all punitive action.
The ACB had summoned Chaubey on May 20 for questioning in connection with the liquor scam. He was arrested following the interrogation. The ACB has accused Vinay Chaubey of collaborating with the Chhattisgarh liquor syndicate to formulate a new liquor policy in Jharkhand, causing financial loss to the state government.
The new liquor policy was implemented in Jharkhand on March 31, 2022, and Chaubey was the secretary of the excise department at that time.
He is currently in judicial custody, and given the serious allegations levelled by the state government, he has been suspended from service. On Wednesday, the Anti-Corruption Bureau made Vinay Chaubey an accused in the Hazaribagh land scam case.
Sources claimed that during the proceedings on Wednesday, Chaubey, already in judicial custody in connection with the liquor scam, appeared before the special ACB court in Hazaribagh through video-conferencing, and was taken into custody in the case.
The case is related to changing the nature of 2.75 acres of ‘Khasmahal’ land and allocating it to private persons during the period when Chaubey was the deputy commissioner of Hazaribagh. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered a case naming seven individuals implicated in the land scam.
Vinay Chaubey's involvement surfaced during the investigation, leading to the addition of his name as an accused. The ACB has intensified its probe following earlier arrests in related cases, including the liquor scam.