Ranchi, July 13 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Jharkhand High Court, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged liquor scam in the state.

The petition contends that the investigation has been delayed for quite some time and that no chargesheet has been filed so far, thus making a CBI inquiry necessary.

According to the plea, the names of several high-profile individuals, including suspended IAS officer Vinay Chaubey, have surfaced during the investigation. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered an FIR in the case in 2025 and arrested several accused persons. However, since the chargesheet was not filed within the stipulated time, all the accused were given default bail.

The Marandi’s petition states that nearly 14 months have elapsed since the case was registered, yet the investigation remains incomplete and is moving at a very slow speed. It alleges that the probe has failed to make meaningful progress and that no chargesheet has been submitted before the court against the accused.

Marandi informed the court that Jharkhand introduced a new excise policy in 2022, modelled on the Chhattisgarh liquor policy. The plea alleges that two placement agencies were awarded contracts on the basis of forged bank guarantees. It further claims that the role of several private companies associated with the liquor trade has come under scrutiny.

The PIL asserts that a thorough investigation is required into the role of the company responsible for manufacturing holograms, the agency supplying manpower, and the firm granted the wholesale liquor contract.

Through the petition, Babulal Marandi has urged the Jharkhand High Court to direct that the entire case be handed over to the CBI for an independent and comprehensive probe.

Earlier on March 31, Marandi had met Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and sought a CBI probe into the scam. The BJP leader had submitted a memorandum to the Governor, alleging serious irregularities in the handling of the case by the ACB.

–IANS

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