Ranchi, Sep 16 (IANS) A special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, who is facing trial in connection with a multi-crore land scam in the district.

Chaubey, a 1999-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, is already an accused in the state’s liquor scam, in which he was arrested on May 20 after several hours of interrogation. He was granted bail in that case on August 19 after the ACB failed to file a charge sheet within the stipulated time.

However, with the latest order, Chaubey will remain behind bars. He is currently lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail, Ranchi.

The Hazaribagh land scam case dates back to Chaubey’s tenure as Deputy Commissioner between 2008 and 2010.

According to the ACB investigation, 2.75 acres of Khas Mahal land — originally leased to Sevayat Trust in 1948 for 30 years — was illegally registered in the names of 23 individuals after the lease expired in 1978.

Investigators allege that this transfer of land was facilitated through an “administrative conspiracy” during Chaubey’s tenure, with his role found to be “suspicious”.

An FIR (Case No. 9/2025) was registered by the ACB last month, following which Chaubey was named as one of the key accused.

On September 12, the Hazaribagh court reserved its order after hearing detailed arguments from both sides. Advocate Shankar represented Chaubey, and Special Public Prosecutor Abhishek Krishna Gupta represented the ACB during the hearing.

Chaubey, who has held several prominent positions in Jharkhand — including Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Secretary of the Excise Department — was suspended following his arrest earlier this year in May.

After the court denied him bail in the land scam case, Chaubey’s legal troubles have further mounted. The ACB is continuing investigations into both the land and liquor scams that have rocked the state bureaucracy.

–IANS

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