THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Ranchi, July 30: The Supreme Court today rejected the bail petition of former Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan, allegedly involved in the illegal sale of army land.
A division bench, comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, upheld the Jharkhand High Court’s decision to deny bail to Ranjan.
Ranjan was arrested on May 4 last year following a series of raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has accused him of playing a key role in facilitating the unauthorized sale of approximately 4.55 acres of army land in the Bariatu area.
Senior advocate Siddharth Agrawal and Abhishek Chaudhary appeared on behalf of Ranjan.
Bail sought on grounds of non-submission of chargesheet within prescribed timeframe
Ranjan had sought bail from the Jharkhand High Court on the grounds of the alleged non-submission of the charge sheet within the prescribed timeframe. However, the high court observed that the investigating agency had completed the probe effectively and had already filed the charge sheet, dismissing his claims as insufficient grounds for bail.
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The ED’s investigation further revealed that three parcels of land located on Cheshire Home Road, Pugru, and Siramtoli in Ranchi, collectively valued at Rs 161.64 crore, were provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED said these lands were illegally transferred in favour of land mafias through fraudulent means, involving complicity with officials from the land revenue department.
