Jharkhand HC denies bail to IAS Vinay Chaubey in ₹129 crore multi-state liquor scam

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey in connection with the ₹129.55 crore liquor scam. Justice Sanjay Dwivedi heard the matter, with Advocate Devesh Azmani representing Chaubey. The petition had sought bail as well as the quashing of the FIR lodged by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the subsequent arrest, along with all related criminal proceedings.

According to case records, the ACB had summoned Chaubey on May 20 for questioning. He was arrested after nearly six hours of interrogation and has since been in judicial custody. As per service rules, officials held in custody for more than 48 hours are liable to be suspended, and Chaubey’s suspension was issued following his arrest. He is one of 13 accused named in the FIR, which spans across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.

The alleged scam traces back to 2022, when the Jharkhand government implemented a new excise policy based on the Chhattisgarh model. To operationalise the policy, an agreement was signed with the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited. Investigations have alleged that tender conditions were altered to favour a particular liquor syndicate working with a Chhattisgarh-based consultant company.

The syndicate reportedly secured contracts for liquor supply and the state’s hologram system. Authorities have alleged that the bank guarantees submitted by the selected companies were fake, causing a financial loss to the state exchequer. An internal audit conducted by the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited found that seven agencies had collectively defrauded the government of ₹129.55 crore.

Vinay Chaubey, a 2003-batch IAS officer, has served in several senior administrative positions, including Secretary of the Jharkhand Excise and Prohibition Department and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. Ten of the 13 accused in the case have so far been arrested and sent to judicial custody. The case continues to be investigated by the ACB.