Ranchi – Senior IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey was arrested on Tuesday by the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with a major liquor scam, following a lengthy interrogation session. He was subsequently presented before a special ACB court at the civil court premises in Ranchi.
This marks the most significant action taken by the ACB against a serving IAS officer in Jharkhand in more than 15 years.
Chaubey, currently serving as the Principal Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department, has previously held important posts, including Excise Secretary and Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
On Tuesday morning, the ACB raided Chaubey’s residence and brought him in for questioning at around 11 a.m. The interrogation focused on suspected irregularities in Jharkhand’s 2022 excise policy, which was reportedly modeled on Chhattisgarh’s controversial liquor policy.
At the time of the policy’s implementation, Chaubey was serving as Jharkhand’s Excise Secretary.
Investigations indicate that the Jharkhand liquor scam closely resembles the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, in which senior officials from the State Marketing Corporation and major businessmen were allegedly involved.
The Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) began the initial probe, which was later taken over by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). During their investigation, the ED found that the same liquor syndicate behind the Chhattisgarh scam had extended its operations to Jharkhand, manipulating the excise policy there for its own gain.
Chaubey was previously questioned by the ED’s Chhattisgarh unit. He had claimed that the excise policy was implemented with the state government’s approval and denied any involvement in corruption.
Later, a Jharkhand-based complainant filed an FIR in Chhattisgarh, accusing the Chhattisgarh liquor syndicate of orchestrating a similar scam in Jharkhand. It was alleged that changes in Jharkhand’s excise policy enabled the syndicate to win key contracts, including those for liquor distribution and the state’s hologram system, resulting in a substantial loss to public funds.
Based on the FIR, the ED registered an ECIR and conducted several raids in October 2024, including at locations linked to Chaubey.
Following this, the Jharkhand ACB obtained permission from the state government to initiate a Preliminary Inquiry. After uncovering substantial evidence, a formal FIR was filed, and Chaubey was summoned once more for questioning.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a medical team was brought in to conduct a health check on Chaubey, after which he was officially arrested.