Supreme Court denies bail to ex-Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, orders fast-tracked trial

New Delhi — The Supreme Court of India on Thursday refused to grant bail to former Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam and his private secretary Sanjeev Lal in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged tender commission scam, while directing that the trial be expedited. 

A bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh declined relief to both accused, who have been in judicial custody for over 18 months. The court instructed the trial court to record statements of key witnesses within four weeks and clarified that the next hearing date would be fixed only after their examination.

During the hearing, Alam’s counsel argued that the 76-year-old leader has been in custody since May 2024 and pointed to delays in the trial, allegedly caused by repeated supplementary charge sheets filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The defence also highlighted the absence of prosecution sanction, but the court found the arguments insufficient to grant bail.

Sanjeev Lal, who sought bail on similar grounds, was also denied relief for now.

The case originates from an ED probe into alleged irregularities in the Rural Development Department. On May 6, 2024, the agency carried out raids at premises linked to Lal and his associate Jahangir Alam, recovering ?32.20 crore in cash. Officials also seized ?10.05 lakh and a diary allegedly detailing commission transactions.

Following the investigation, Alamgir Alam was arrested on May 15, 2024. The ED has alleged the existence of an organised network that collected commissions in exchange for government tenders. 

According to the agency, contractors were allegedly asked to pay around three per cent of the contract value as commission. Of this, about 1.35 per cent was reportedly routed to the then minister through his private secretary, while 0.65 to 1 per cent was allegedly distributed among senior departmental officials. The remaining amount was said to be shared among other personnel, including engineers.

The ED claims the alleged scam generated illegal proceeds exceeding ?90 crore in connection with tender allocations worth around ?3,048 crore. Emphasising the seriousness of the charges, the Supreme Court underlined the need for a speedy trial while denying bail to the accused.
 

With inputs from IANS