Chhattisgarh NAN ‘scam’: FIR against 2 retired IAS officers, former AG

PTI, Nov 5, 2024, 11:34 AM IST

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh ACB has registered a case against two retired IAS officers and a former state advocate general for allegedly misusing their positions to influence the probe in the alleged Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) scam case, officials said on Tuesday.

The allegations pertain to stints of the three accused during the previous Congress government in the state.

The FIR was lodged on Monday against former IAS officers and NAN scam case accused Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla, and former AG Satish Chandra Verma, based on a report and documents provided to the state’s agency by the Enforcement Directorate, an official from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) said.

They were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 182 (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person), 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure), 193 (false evidence), 195A (threatening any person to give false evidence), 166A (public servant disobeying direction under law) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said.

Tuteja is the former chairperson of NAN, while Shukla is its ex-managing director.

The FIR stated that based on cases registered by state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)/EOW and ED in the Civil Supplies Corporation scam (commonly called NAN scam), the Income Tax department had collected some digital evidences, including WhatsApp chats, against Tuteja and Shukla.

The evidence suggested the duo had not only made several attempts to frustrate the investigation by the ED but were also constantly in touch with bureaucrats and constitutional authorities of then Chhattisgarh government to influence the ongoing trial against them underway in a Raipur court in the ACB/EOW’s case, it alleged.

Shukla, who was posted as principal secretary in the state between 2018 and 2020, and Tuteja, who was joint secretary between 2019 and 2020, became influential officers in then state government (headed by Bhupesh Baghel from 2018 to 2023) and they had deep interference in the government’s operations, policy making and other works since 2019, the FIR said.

The two officers had direct interference in postings and transfers on all key posts in then government. In a way, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire bureaucracy of then Chhattisgarh government was under their control, it charged.

On the observation of WhatsApp chats and documents in the case, it was prima facie found that, from 2019 to 2020, Shukla and Tuteja allegedly misused their respective positions and gave undue advantage to then Advocate General Verma, with the intention that he could be motivated to perform public duty in an improper manner, the FIR said.

The two officers in connivance with Verma allegedly engaged in criminal conspiracy by making changes to procedural and departmental documents and information related to the EOW.

They tried to get the replies, to be submitted in the Chhattisgarh High Court in the case registered against them, prepared in their favour, in order to obtain the benefit of anticipatory bail in the ACB/EOW case and also to get the same benefit in ED’s case, it alleged.

They along with then senior officials of EOW also allegedly pressured witnesses in the case to change their statements, the FIR said.

The alleged scam was exposed in February 2015 when the ACB/EOW conducted simultaneous raids at 25 premises of the Civil Supplies Corporation (commonly known as NAN), the nodal agency for ensuring effective operation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), and its officials seized unaccounted cash totalling Rs 3.64 crore.

Many of the rice and salt samples collected during the raid were tested for quality and were claimed to be sub-standard and unfit for human consumption.

Later, the ACB made 18 persons accused in the case, including Tuteja and Shukla, the then state government officials.

In 2019, the ED lodged an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the FIR and chargesheet filed by the Chhattisgarh’s ACB/EOW in the scam.

In April this year, the ED arrested Tuteja in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.