The accused driver of alleged kingpin Suryakant Tiwari has been denied relief by the High Court in the coal levy scam case. Rejecting the anticipatory bail plea, the court observed that economic offences are extremely serious in nature and have a direct adverse impact on the country’s economy.
The case relates to the illegal coal levy scam worth around ₹540 crore. Narayan Sahu, the driver of Suryakant Tiwari, had been issued a permanent arrest warrant nearly two years ago and has been absconding since then. According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau–Economic Offences Wing (ACB-EOW), Sahu played a key role in the coal syndicate and allegedly collected about ₹13 crore in illegal cash on its behalf. Of this amount, nearly ₹7.5 crore was allegedly distributed among government officials and political leaders.
Investigations have revealed that a group of private individuals, in collusion with senior politicians and bureaucrats of the state, operated an organized racket between July 2020 and June 2022. Under this scheme, coal transporters were allegedly forced to pay ₹25 per tonne on transported coal. During this period, the syndicate is believed to have illegally extorted approximately ₹540 crore.
The illegally collected money was allegedly used to bribe government officials and politicians, fund election-related expenses, and acquire movable and immovable properties. So far, assets worth around ₹273 crore linked to the accused persons have been identified and attached by the authorities.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), has arrested 11 accused so far. Additionally, five prosecution complaints have been filed against 35 accused individuals before the special PMLA court. The agency has stated that further investigation in the case is ongoing.
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