RANCHI: Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, has written to Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar seeking immediate intervention in the alleged Rs 750-crore liquor scam and urging that the probe be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
He also flagged serious lapses by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) that allowed several accused to secure default bail.
Marandi stated in his letter that the matter goes beyond financial irregularities, raising serious concerns over the state’s law and order as well as administrative transparency. He also cautioned that failure to ensure a fair and impartial investigation could severely erode public trust.
During a meeting with the Governor on Tuesday, Marandi alleged serious lapses and “suspicious conduct” by the state’s ACB, claiming that the agency failed to file chargesheets within the statutory timeframe, allowing several accused to secure default bail.
He urged the Governor to direct the ACB to immediately file chargesheets and recommend a CBI inquiry into the case.
In his letter, Marandi claimed that instead of conducting an impartial investigation, the ACB appeared to be protecting those involved in the case.
The agency deliberately delayed filing chargesheets, compromising evidence and statutory procedures, he alleged.
The ACB had arrested several officials and individuals in connection with the case in 2025, including then Excise Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey and Joint Excise Commissioner Gajendra Singh on May 20, followed by other officials linked to the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL).
“Gajendra Singh secured bail within 56 days, while Choubey was granted default bail on August 19, 2025, due to the failure to file a chargesheet within 90 days. The other accused also received similar relief soon after,” stated Marandi in his letter.
Following Vinay Choubey's precedent, the very next day, August 20, 2025, Sudhir Kumar Das, Sudhir Kumar, and Neeraj Kumar were also granted bail by the court, he added.
According to Marandi, all these influential accused individuals secured bail solely because the ACB failed to file a chargesheet against them in court within the stipulated statutory period of 90 days.
“It has now emerged as an irrefutable fact that, despite the passage of over eight months, the ACB has not filed a single chargesheet in this case,” stated Marandi in his letter.
The direct consequence of this failure is that, out of a total of 17 arrested accused persons, 14 have already been granted “default bail” due to the failure to file chargesheets within the prescribed timeframe, he added.
The Leader of Opposition claimed that the changes made to the state’s excise policy in 2022 benefited a particular syndicate, leading to heavy losses for the state exchequer. He claimed that the scam, initially pegged at Rs 38 crore, has now expanded to over Rs 750 crore.
Calling the matter a “premeditated economic offence,” Marandi urged the Governor to step in as the constitutional head of the state.
He requested immediate directions to the ACB to file chargesheets and recommended transferring the entire investigation to the CBI to ensure accountability and restore public trust.