IAS Ranu Sahu granted bail in Chhattisgarh coal scam
Raipur | Correspondent: The Supreme Court has granted bail to Chhattisgarh IAS officer Ranu Sahu, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the coal scam in July last year. However, uncertainty looms over her release as the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has also filed a case against her.
At the time of her arrest, Ranu Sahu served as the Director of the Agriculture Department and Managing Director of the Chhattisgarh State Mandi Board.
She was known as one of the most trusted officers under the tenure of then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The controversy surrounding Ranu Sahu escalated when Jai Singh Agarwal, the MLA from Korba and the state’s Revenue Minister, publicly leveled serious allegations of corruption and bribery against her on multiple occasions.
But no action was taken on the minister’s allegations and Ranu Sahu remained in her post.
Who is Ranu Sahu
Ranu Sahu hails from Gariaband district in Chhattisgarh.
Her journey began in 2005 when she achieved the position of Deputy Superintendent of Police after clearing the State Service Commission exam, marking a significant milestone in her career.
Driven by ambition, she pursued further challenges and successfully passed the Union Public Service Commission exam in 2010, securing a position in the prestigious Indian Administrative Service.
Assigned to the Chhattisgarh cadre, she has since served in various pivotal roles, contributing significantly to Chhattisgarh state.
From June 2021 to June 2022, Ranu Sahu served as the Collector of Korba, followed by a stint as the Collector of Raigarh district until February 2023.
Both Korba and Raigarh are renowned for their significant coal production and transportation activities.
During this period, her husband, IAS officer Jaiprakash Maurya, held the position of Special Secretary in the Department of Geology and Minerals starting from June 2021.
In the year 2022-23, Ranu Sahu’s residence and office were subjected to three raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), with repeated questioning sessions ensuing.
On October 11, 2022, during an ED raid at her official residence in Raigarh, the government bungalow was found locked, prompting the ED to subsequently seal it—an unprecedented action for a collector’s official residence in the state.
A month later, on November 14, Ranu Sahu voluntarily notified the ED of her return to Raigarh, which intensified the ongoing investigation.
Notably, despite the scrutiny, she was not placed under arrest.
What is the coal scam?
In October of 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the residences and offices of numerous officials and businessmen in Chhattisgarh, alleging the existence of an organized syndicate in the state involved in levying an unauthorized charge of Rs 25 per tonne for coal transportation.
According to ED documents, government officials purportedly issued an order on July 15, 2020, endorsing this under a premeditated policy, which subsequently triggered an illicit recovery process.
The ED claims that several businessmen, leaders of the Congress party, and officials are implicated in this scandal, having allegedly amassed over Rs 540 crore through unlawful means.
Court-presented documents by the ED indicate the seizure of numerous diaries, phone transcripts, transaction evidence, substantial sums of cash, gold, details of multi-billion rupee properties, and other pertinent records.
Furthermore, the ED has reportedly attached alleged illegal assets exceeding Rs 200 crore belonging to the accused businessmen, officials, and politicians involved in the case.
