This story is from May 8, 2024

ED: ‘Top to bottom’ graft web in Jharkhand ministry

Lal was arrested on Tuesday and his help was taken in custody at 2 am when both "refused to cooperate" in disclosing the source of the huge cash recovered from their premises during searches on Monday. ED's submissions were made in its remand note against the accused before a special court in Ranchi when the two were produced Tuesday.
ED: ‘Top to bottom’ graft web in Jharkhand ministry
Sanjeev Kumar Lal, secretary of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, being produced before a court following his arrest in Ranchi on Tuesday
NEW DELHI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday claimed that several officials "from top to bottom" of Jharkhand's rural development ministry allegedly received bribes from contractors and that it was compelled to arrest Sanjeev Lal - personal secretary to Congress legislature party chief and state's rural development minister Alamgir Alam - when he refused to share source of Rs 35 crore seized from the premises of his domestic help.
Lal was arrested on Tuesday and his help was taken in custody at 2 am when both "refused to cooperate" in disclosing the source of the huge cash recovered from their premises during searches on Monday.

ED's submissions were made in its remand note against the accused before a special court in Ranchi when the two were produced Tuesday.
Haryana
Jammu & Kashmir
  • Alliance View
    i
  • Party View
Seats: 90
Results
Majority: 46
BJP
48
CONG
37
INLD
2
AAP
0
OTH
3

Results: 90/90

BJP WON
Source: PValue
The central investigative agency alleged that Lal was personally involved in collection of "commission" on behalf of "some influential persons" and played a pivotal role in managing tenders. The alleged bribes collected from contractors were "distributed in a mechanised manner to higher-ups of govt", ED said.
A money laundering probe against the officials of the state's rural development ministry began in 2019, which led to the arrest of Veerendra Kumar Ram, former chief engineer of the ministry, last year.


"Ram collected 'commission' of 1.5%, which was distributed among his seniors and politicians," ED said, hinting at the possibility of questioning the minister in-charge of rural development. Ram, who is presently in judicial custody, had told the agency that the rural development minister's secretary Sanjeev Lal was directly involved in collections of commission.
"The said commission is collected by Lal through certain persons and in one of the instances V K Ram said that crores of the commission were handed over to Lal in Sept2022," ED said.
This is the second instance in less than six months where a senior Congress leader has been linked to huge cash hauls. Earlier, in Dec last year, Income Tax officials had seized more than Rs 350 crore in Odisha from a distillery company associated with Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA