Ranchi — The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the FIR lodged against officials of the Enforcement Directorate, marking a key development in the dispute between the central agency and the Jharkhand Police.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi delivered the verdict after reserving judgment following detailed arguments from all parties. The court directed that the FIR and the entire episode linked to it be investigated by the CBI.
The decision is being viewed as a setback for the state government and the Ranchi police. Earlier, the ED had approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the FIR filed at the Ranchi Airport police station, claiming the allegations against its officers were baseless. The agency had also requested that the matter be handed over to the CBI.
The controversy began when Santosh Kumar, an employee of the state’s Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and an accused in a money laundering case, filed a complaint against ED officials. He alleged that he was assaulted, abused and mentally harassed during questioning at the ED office in Ranchi on January 12.
Based on the complaint, Ranchi police registered an FIR against ED officers and even conducted a raid at the ED office, escalating tensions between the state police and the central agency.
Subsequently, the ED filed a writ petition in the High Court, alleging that the police action was malicious and intended to obstruct its ongoing investigation.
During a hearing on January 16, the High Court had stayed the police probe and observed that the functioning of a central investigative agency should not be interfered with. The court had also directed that security of the ED office be handed over to central paramilitary forces such as the Central Industrial Security Force or the Border Security Force, and ordered the preservation of CCTV footage related to the incident.
During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju represented the ED, assisted by advocates A. K. Das and Saurabh Kumar. The state government’s side was argued by senior Supreme Court advocate S. Nagamuthu along with Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan and advocate Dipankar. The complainant was represented by advocate Sumit Gadodia.
With inputs from IANS