Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths who are in state for the last several days finally arrested Chhattisgarh’s powerful bureaucrat Soumya Chaurasiya in a coal extortion cum disproportionate asset case. Chaurasiya is working as a Deputy Secretary in Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel-led administration and allegedly enjoys patronage of CM Baghel.
The deputy secretary was under the radar of central prosecuting agencies in an illegal mining case. Prior to ED raid, the sleuths of the Income Tax Department carried out raids on the premises of the officer and attached several properties linked to her, one government official informed.
However, in the case, the lady officer was first summoned for custody and then after she was put under arrest by ED.
Central prosecuting agencies also questioned the Deputy Secretary several times in the past two months, a government official said on the verge of anonymity.
Meanwhile, in the case while presenting Chaurasiya in the court of Ajay Singh Rajput, iv additional district and sessions judge, Raipur on Friday in Raipur, ED requested for 10 days remand. The court approved a 4 days judicial remand for the arrested officer to carry out further enquiry. As per the sources, Chaurasiya will remain in ED custody for December 6.
Earlier arrests in the coal levy scam
Notably, IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, Coal trader Surya Kant Tiwari and three other businessmen, were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month in connection with an alleged illegal coal levy scam in Chhattisgarh, are still in judicial custody till December 6.
In the case of increased arrests and frequent raids by I-Tax and ED sleuths in Chhattisgarh CM Baghel recently issued a series of warnings and alleged that central prosecuting agencies are carrying out severe human right violations including violence and intimidation on the detainees.
The CM said that he received complaints of serious nature against ED and IT officials that torturing the detainee which was unacceptable, and state law enforcement agencies will act accordingly if such things not stopped.
