LI Network
Published on: 23 July 2023 at 12:10 IST
Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials arrested Ranu Sahu, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer serving as a director in the Chhattisgarh agriculture department, in connection with a coal levy case.
According to her lawyer, Faizal Rizvi, Sahu’s detention is related to the 2022 coal levy case, and she had previously been summoned multiple times between October 2022 and January 2023. Throughout this period, she had fully cooperated with the ED. However, after January 2023, she was no longer summoned by the agency.
Rizvi strongly criticized the grounds for her arrest, describing them as imaginary and politically motivated, aimed at appeasing certain individuals.
Saurabh Pandey, the lawyer representing the ED, confirmed Sahu’s arrest and stated that she had been presented before a court in Raipur, where she was remanded in three-day ED custody.
The ED also provisionally attached Sahu’s property, worth Rs 5.52 crore, as part of the ongoing investigation. The allegations against her revolve around suspicions of receiving kickbacks from other individuals involved in the coal levy case.
Notably, this makes Sahu the second IAS officer to be arrested in connection with the same case, as Sameer Vishnoi, an IAS officer from the 2009 batch, was arrested last year.
Sahu’s lawyer countered the ED’s claims, arguing that the attached property had been acquired before 2019, whereas the alleged proceeds of crime mentioned by the ED occurred from 2020 onwards. He emphasized that his client had fully cooperated with the ED and expressed concern over her sudden arrest without any new questions being raised by the agency.
The lawyer asserted that custodial remand was unnecessary in this situation.
Another point of contention raised by Sahu’s legal team pertained to the evidence presented by the ED. They questioned the authenticity of WhatsApp chats allegedly involving their client, as they claimed that these conversations did not include her.
Moreover, they questioned how the ED obtained these chats if they did not seize any mobile phones during their investigation. The matter was brought before the court by the defense.
Prior to the recent arrest, on Wednesday, the ED conducted searches at 15 locations across the state, including Sahu’s residence in Raipur. Agency sources suggested that this action was part of a new case. Additionally, the ED raided the home of Congress treasurer Ram Gopal Agrawal during the same operation. The agency’s investigations in the matter are ongoing.
