The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to suspended IAS officer Ranu Sahu in the alleged Chhattisgarh coal levy scam. Businessman Suryakant Tiwari, one of the main accused and Saumya Chaurasia, the deputy secretary of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, were also granted interim bail by the bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh.
"Taking into consideration the time-consuming process of investigation and without asking for a hasty probe, we deem it fit to release petitioners on interim bail," Justice Surya Kant said.
"If any found in influencing witnesses, tampering evidence or causing hurdle in probe, state can approach the court and in that case interim bail shall be cancelled," he said.
While Ranu Sahu, a Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer of the 2010 batch, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2023, Saumya Chaurasia, also a Chhattisgarh-cadre civil servant, was arrested in 2022.
Sahu was serving as the director of the state agriculture department at that time. She was the second IAS officer in the state who was arrested in the case after Sameer Vishnoi, who was arrested in 2022.
The Chhattisgarh Coal Levy Scam
The investigation by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged Chhattisgarh coal levy scam has revealed that a group of private individuals, in collusion with senior state politicians and bureaucrats, engaged in extortion from coal transporters. They charged Rs 25 per tonne of coal transported between July 2020 and June 2022, the central probe agency said.
"During this period, the total Proceeds of Crime (POC) amounted to Rs 540 crore (approximately), which was extorted from coal transporters in Chhattisgarh. The illegal funds were used to bribe government officials and politicians, with part of the POC also spent on elections. The remaining funds were utilized for the acquisition of various movable and immovable properties," it said.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the agency has arrested 11 individuals and filed three prosecution complaints against 26 accused persons. It has also attached properties worth Rs 270 crore of the accused.
