Ranchi: Leader of opposition Babulal Marandi on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to governor Santosh Gangwar seeking his intervention for a CBI probe into the liquor scam case being investigated by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).Marandi accused the ACB of failing to file even a single chargesheet in the alleged scam amounting to Rs 750 crore, in which he alleged many suspects, who were earlier arrested, are getting default bail due to the agency’s laxity.In his memorandum, Marandi said, “It is a matter of concern that the state’s investigating agency, instead of conducting an impartial investigation into this serious economic crime, is providing complete protection to corruption. It has become clear that the ACB is deliberately compromising evidence and statutory timelines to shield the corrupt.”“In 2022, amendments were made to Jharkhand’s excise policy to benefit a syndicate, causing massive loss to the state’s revenue. Initially estimated at Rs 38 crore, this scam has now exceeded Rs 750 crore as per the ACB’s probe,” he claimed.On May 20, ACB arrested the alleged masterminds of the scam — former excise secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey and joint excise commissioner Gajendra Singh — and subsequently more were arrested.“Many got bail due to ACB’s deliberate failure to file chargesheet,” Marandi claimed, urging the governor to recommend a CBI probe.Congress, part of the ruling alliance hit back at Marandi. Party spokesperson Alok Dubey said, “BJP is working like a gang, which neither works itself nor let others work. State agency is working with transparency, while BJP is only trying to vitiate the atmosphere by levelling wild allegations.”
