SC grants bail to suspended Jharkhand IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan in money laundering case

New Delhi — The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to suspended IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who has spent more than two years in jail over money laundering charges linked to an alleged Army land scam in Ranchi.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi approved Ranjan’s bail plea with strict conditions. He has been directed not to leave the country without the court’s permission and must cooperate fully with investigators.

Ranjan, a 2011-batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 4, 2023, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). His earlier bail requests were rejected by the PMLA special court and the Jharkhand High Court.

The ED has lodged two separate money laundering cases against him. In the first, he allegedly used forged papers to buy and sell a one-acre plot on Cheshire Home Road in Ranchi — a case in which the High Court had already granted him bail. The second involves the alleged illegal transfer of 4.5 acres of Army land in Bariatu, Ranchi, for which the Supreme Court has now extended relief.

According to investigators, Ranjan abused his position as Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi to aid land dealers in unlawful transfers, and the illicit proceeds were routed through multiple channels.

Other accused in the case include businessman Vishnu Agarwal, Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, and several land dealers — Afsar Ali, Fayaz Khan, Mohammad Saddam, Imtiaz Khan, Talha Khan, Amit Agarwal, Dilip Ghosh, and Pradeep Bagchi, who allegedly acted as a fake tenant.

Following his suspension from service after arrest, Ranjan, who earlier served as Deputy Commissioner in Ranchi and Koderma, is now expected to be released from jail after the Supreme Court’s order.

 

With inputs from IANS

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