Supreme Court Dismisses Bail for Ex-Deputy Commissioner in Jharkhand Land Scam

The Supreme Court has dismissed former Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan's bail plea in a land fraud case. Ranjan, involved in the sale of 4.55 acres of army land in Ranchi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. The case involves fraudulent land mutations and a commercial value of Rs 161.64 crore.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed the bail plea of Chhavi Ranjan, former Ranchi deputy commissioner, in a high-profile land fraud case. The bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and S C Sharma upheld the Jharkhand High Court's decision to deny bail.

Ranjan, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after several raids, is accused of facilitating the illegal sale of army land in Ranchi's Bariatu area. The fraudulent transactions, involving three land parcels with a combined market value of Rs 161.64 crore, were allegedly executed with the collusion of land revenue officials.

The ED has arrested 14 individuals in this case and provisionally attached the land under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Ranjan, a 2011-batch IAS officer, previously served as the state social welfare department's director. His bail plea was based on the ED's purported delay in submitting the charge sheet, a claim dismissed by the high court.