High-Profile Figures Booked in Jharkhand's Liquor Policy Scandal

An FIR has been lodged by Chhattisgarh's Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offence Wing against seven individuals, including multiple IAS officers, for allegedly manipulating the liquor policy in Jharkhand. This amendment caused significant financial loss to the Jharkhand government and involved illegal commissions and fraudulent activities.

Chhattisgarh's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Economic Offence Wing (EOW) have registered an FIR against seven individuals, including an IAS officer from Jharkhand, for allegedly causing substantial financial losses to the exchequer by manipulating the liquor policy in the neighboring state.

The FIR, registered on September 7 in Raipur, names a retired IAS officer from Chhattisgarh and is based on a complaint filed by Vikas Kumar, a resident of Ranchi, Jharkhand. Among those implicated are former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, businessman Anwar Dheber, ex-Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation MD Arunpati Tripathi, and former excise commissioner of Chhattisgarh Niranjan Das.

An elaborate scheme involving these individuals allegedly altered Jharkhand's excise policy to benefit a syndicate, causing a huge loss to the Jharkhand government's coffers between 2022 and 2023. The syndicate is accused of awarding tenders for liquor supply fraudulently and taking illegal commissions amounting to crores of rupees.

(With inputs from agencies.)