CG: Saumya Chaurasia Jailed on Judicial Remand, Next Hearing on Dec 19

CM Baghel’s close aid Soumya Chaurasia sent to jail on judicial remandShe has been an accused in money laundering caseNext special court hearing on Dec 19

Raipur: In the money laundering case related to Chhattisgarh’s Mineral Department, the special court has ordered Saumya Chaurasia, Deputy Secretary of the Chief Miner’s Office, to be sent to jail on judicial remand. She will now be produced in court again on December 19. Earlier, after the remand of the Enforcement Directorate was over, the agency produced her in the special court of Raipur.
Apparently, on October 11, the Enforcement Directorate raided 75 locations of several officers and businessmen in the state. After preliminary investigation and questioning, on October 13, the then CEO of Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society-CHIPS, Sameer Vishnoi, coal baron Sunil Agarwal and lawyer and businessman Laxmikant Tiwari were arrested in this case. On October 29, Suryakant Tiwari, another accused in the case, surrendered in the court.
Suryakant was also sent to judicial custody after 10 days of questioning. Since then all four accused are in jail. Meanwhile, ED’s interrogation of other officers and businessmen continued. After several days of questioning, the ED arrested Saumya Chaurasia, an officer of the State Adminrative Service, on December 2. She has been accused of using black money for buying and selling Benami property. Earlier she was sent to ED custody till 6 December.
After that ED got custody till 10th December and again till 14th December. In this way, ED interrogated Soumya in custody for 14 days. Now she has been sent to jail in judicial custody. On behalf of the ED in the court, it was said that Soumya Chaurasia’s stay outside would increase the possibility of influencing the evidence and witnesses.
Last week on December 9, the ED attached around 100 properties belonging to five accused in the money laundering case. It has 21 properties linked to Saumya Chaurasia. Apart from this, 65 properties are linked to businessman Suryakant Tiwari. Five properties belonging to suspended IAS Sameer Vishnoi have also been attached. The remaining properties belong to Sunil Agarwal and Laxmikant Tiwari. The value of this property is said to be Rs 152 crore 31 lakh.
ED has also presented the charge sheet in the court last Friday against the four accused Suryakant Tiwari, Sameer Vishnoi, Sunil Aggarwal, and Laxmikant Tiwari. It is alleged that these people have made illegal recovery of Rs 540 crore from coal transportation in 16 months. This amount has been dributed among the officers and businessmen. The amount of illegal recovery has been layered in coal business and land.
ED is preparing a separate chargesheet to give a legal face to the allegations against Saumya Chaurasia. It will be presented in court as a supplementary charge sheet. For this, the agency has time till February. But it is being told that ED’s lawyers will try to present this document the end of December.