CG Coal Scam: Kingpin Tiwari, IAS Officer Bishnoi, and Associate Sent to 14Day Judicial Custody

RAIPUR: Businessman Suryakant Tiwari and Sunil Agarwal along with IAS officer Bishnoi were sent to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday. Additional District Judge Ajay Singh pronounced the order when ED produced the accused before the court today. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for November 10th sources said.

The ED on Wednesday launched search operations across locations related to the businessmen and the IAS officer. The ED has attached documents indicating illegal transactions by the IAS officer. At the raid under the possession of IAS officer Sameer Bishnoi, ED officials claim to have found more than 100 blank checks signed by the former. As per reports, the existence of the checks was never presented before the officials in the previous searches.

The ED around 11 days ago conducted searches and made arrests under the PMLA pertaining to a massive scam in which an illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne is being exhorted from every tonne of coal transported in CG by a cartel involving bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians, and middlemen.

According to ED businessman Suryakant Tiwari is the kingpin of the conspiracy planned along with his associates. The ED had in a special PMLA court filed an application seeking custody of the three accused, including an IAS officer, the ED has given a description of the modus operandi of the alleged scam.

It said the coal delivery order (CDO) is issued in favor of the buyer by the mining company and buyers are required to deposit an earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 500 per metric tonne with the mining company and are required to lift coal within 45 days. The notification forced mining companies to apply to the mining officer for NOC for the issuance of an e-permit.

Without NOC, the ED said an e-permit for coal transportation cannot be issued, leading to the non-execution of the delivery order issued by the mining company. If the CDO is not executed within 45 days, it lapses and the EMD paid by the buyer is forfeited by the company.