THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Ranchi, August 13: The troubles of suspended IAS officer Vinay Choubey, currently in jail over the liquor scam, have deepened after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) named him as an accused in the Hazaribagh Khasmahal land scam.
On Wednesday, Choubey appeared before the ACB’s special court in Hazaribagh via video conferencing.
Action Based on ACB Station In-Charge’s Complaint
The action followed a complaint lodged by ACB Station In-Charge Saurabh Lakra. Earlier, the ACB had already named former Khasmahal officer Vinod Chandra Jha, along with Basanti Sethi, Uma Sethi, Indrajit Sethi, Rajesh Sethi, Vijay Pratap Singh, and Sujit Kumar Singh, as accused in the case.
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Probe Reveals Startling Facts
The ACB had earlier conducted a preliminary inquiry, which revealed shocking details. Around 2.75 acres of Khasmahal land in Hazaribagh had been leased to a trust in 1948 for 30 years. The lease was renewed in 1978 until 2008.
However, the investigation found that between 2008 and 2010, the land was falsely declared as government property and allocated to 23 private individuals as part of a conspiracy.
Deliberate Removal of ‘Trust Sevayat’ to Facilitate Illegal Transfer
The probe further revealed that during the lease renewal, then Khasmahal officer Vinod Chandra Jha deliberately removed the term “Trust Sevayat” from the records. This was done to present the land as government property, enabling its illegal transfer.
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Under the law, trust land cannot be transferred to anyone else. Nevertheless, it was done, and today multi-storey commercial buildings stand on the property as a result of the unlawful transfer.
