Chhattisgarh Coal Levy Scam: Four accused sent to EOW’s remand for nine days

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of Raipur has approved the Economic Offence Wing (EOW’s) remand of as many as four of the accused in the alleged multi-crore coal levy scam on Tuesday, June 11.

The accused were produced before the court on a production warrant on Tuesday where the EOW requested for their remand, following which the court allowed a nine-day remand of the accused after hearing the arguments of both the parties.

Earlier, the anti-corruption unit had approached the court with an application of producing Lakshmikant Tiwari, Nikhil Chandrakar, Sunil Nayak and suspended Deputy Director, Mining Department, Shivshankar Nag before the court on production warrant to which the court agreed after which all of them were produced on June 11.

Notably, Tiwari’s nephew Suryakant Tiwari has been alleged by the agencies as the main kingpin of the alleged coal levy scam worth over 500 crores while Nikhil was reported to be Suryakant’s driver.

Earlier on Monday, the EOW had also produced Suryakant Tiwari and IAS, Sameer Vishnoi before the court from where they have been sent to a two days’ remand of EOW. The duo were produced before the court following completion of their 7 days EOW’s remand.

Now as the EOW has secured the remand of all the six accused, it is being assumed that the sleuths of the agency can make them sit face to face and interrogate.

Read more at: Chhattisgarh: EOW intensifies probe into alleged coal scam worth Rs 540 crores

Recently the agency had also interrogated Soumya Chaurasiya, the then deputy secretary, Chief Minister Office, Chhattisgarh and suspended IAS, Ranu Sahu, both accused in the multi-crore scam, the agency’s officials had also grilled brothers of Chaurasiya and Sahu in connection with the case. Both Chuarasiya and Sahu are currently in judicial custody till June 18.

More recently, the sleuths of the EOW had also carried out searches at Korba based Mining Department Office in connection with the case on June 6. The officials there reportedly enquired about the old records linked to the alleged scam which flourished under the mineral-rich state between 2020-2022.

It is noteworthy that EOW had initiated a probe after registering a fresh First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the case in January this year. The case was registered on the basis of Enforcement Directorate’s (ED’s) report which stated that a massive coal levy scam worth Rs 540 crores in which illegal levy of Rs 25 was extorted for every ton of coal transported in the state by a cartel composed of senior bureaucrats, coal businessmen, politicians and middlemen between the year 2020 to 2022.