Ranchi, May 6: In a significant development in the high-profile tender scam case in Jharkhand, former minister Alamgir Alam has faced another setback as the Jharkhand High Court has rejected his discharge petition. This petition challenged the order of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, which had dismissed his request for discharge and directed the framing of charges against him.
Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad delivered the verdict after hearing arguments from all parties involved. The court had reserved its decision following the completion of the hearing. Advocates Zoheb Hussain, A.K. Das, and Saurav Kumar represented the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case.
The case revolves around alleged irregularities in the tender process and money laundering activities. The ED has filed a chargesheet against Alamgir Alam, his officer on special duty Sanjeev Lal, and his domestic aide Jahangir Alam.
Previously, on May 6, 2024, the ED conducted extensive raids in Ranchi, during which approximately ₹32.2 crore in cash was recovered from the residence of Jahangir Alam, Sanjeev Lal’s assistant. Additionally, ₹10.5 lakh was seized from Sanjeev Lal’s residence, and ₹2.3 lakh was found in his office located in the secretariat. A diary containing details of alleged commission transactions was also confiscated.
Following the investigation, Alamgir Alam was arrested on May 15, 2024. The ED has alleged that an organized network was operating to collect commissions in exchange for awarding government tenders.
According to the investigation agency, contractors were reportedly required to pay about three percent of the total contract value as commission. Of this, approximately 1.35 percent allegedly reached the then minister through his personal secretary, while 0.65 to 1 percent was distributed among senior officials in the department, with the remaining amount shared among engineers and other staff.
With the recent ruling from the High Court, the process of framing charges in the PMLA court is expected to advance, potentially accelerating the hearing of the case.
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