Ranchi, February 11: In a significant development in the 22-year-old high-profile bitumen scam in Jharkhand, a special CBI court in Ranchi has framed charges against Satyanarayan Tiwari, the current BJP legislator from Garhwa and former director of Kalawati Construction Private Limited. This decision paves the way for a trial in the case.
The CBI court has established charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, instructing the CBI to begin presenting evidence from February 20.
The case dates back to 2003-04 when large-scale irregularities were uncovered in the procurement of bitumen (tar) by the Public Works Department. The investigation was handed over to the CBI.
According to the CBI’s findings, Kalawati Construction Private Limited submitted 114 invoices for the purchase and supply of bitumen during road construction. Of these, 61 invoices were found to be completely fraudulent. It is alleged that based on these fake invoices, an illegal payment of approximately ₹2.23 crore was obtained from the department.
The investigating agency claims that as the director of the company, Satyanarayan Tiwari conspired to misuse government funds through fake bills, thereby gaining undue financial benefits. Previously, the accused had filed a discharge petition in court, claiming innocence and seeking to be freed from the case. However, the court dismissed that petition after a hearing.
On Wednesday, while framing the charges, the court noted that there is a strong prima facie case against the accused based on the available evidence, making it necessary to proceed with the trial. Witness statements will be recorded, and evidence will be presented starting February 20, increasing the legal challenges for the Garhwa legislator.
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