From the suspension of IAS officer Abhishek Prakash in connection with a bribery case to the recent raids of the ED in a money laundering case involving IAS officer Sanjeev Hans, the Indian bureaucracy has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
In an investigation relating to a money-laundering case involving a 1997-batch Bihar IAS officer, Sanjeev Hans, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized whopping amounts of cash during raids conducted at seven locations in Patna, Bihar, on Thursday (27th March). According to reports, the amount seized by the ED was so huge that it took 7 hours for the ED officials to count the entire amount using cash counting machines.
As per reports, last week, the ED seized cash worth ₹11.64 crore during the raids of premises linked with senior Bihar government officials in Patna. The agency raided properties linked to Tarini Das (chief engineer at the Bihar Construction Department), Mumukshu Chaudhary (joint secretary in the Finance Department), Umesh Kumar Singh (executive engineer in the Urban Development and Housing Department), Vikash Jha (deputy general manager at the same corporation), Ayaz Ahmed (deputy project director at Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd), Sagar Jaiswal (deputy general manager of projects at Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd), and Saket Kumar (executive engineer with the Bihar Construction Department).
Sanjeev Hans, former principal secretary of the state energy department, is currently lodged in Beur Central Jail in Patna. He was arrested last year by the Special Vigilance Unit of the Bihar Police after evidence against him surfaced. Hans is facing allegations of amassing wealth and properties disproportionate to his earnings during his postings in Bihar from 2018 to 2023.
What is the case against Hans?
The allegations against Hans first emerged in January 2023 when a lawyer accused him, along with Rashtirya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Gulab Yadav, of gangrape, blackmail, coercion and forced abortion. The woman had filed this petition in the year 2021 after which the bench sought a preliminary inquiry report on the matter from the Patna police. Still, the report was not submitted, failing which the court dismissed the case. The case was dismissed by the Patna High Court in September 2023 but the financial transactions of Hans and Yadava came under the scanner.
Later on, an FIR was filed by the Special Vigilance Unit against Hans for alleged possession of disproportionate assets. While probing the allegations of rape against him, the authorities found some dubious transactions. The current ED-led money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) stems from the FIR.
The ED seized assets worth ₹23.72 crore linked to Hans’ associates in December 2024. The assets included land in Nagour and flats in Delhi and Jaipur, allegedly acquired with illegal funds. These properties were bought in the name of close associates of Hans, including Praveen Chaudhary, Pushpraj Bajaj and Bajaj’s family members, to conceal the real ownership. The central agency also recovered gold jewellery worth ₹1.25 crore, luxury watches worth ₹65 lakh, silver bullion worth ₹ 11 lakh and shares valued at ₹60 crore held in proxy accounts. More than 70 bank accounts having suspicious deposits worth ₹6 crore were also seized during the investigation. The central agency alleged that Hans had influential links in the Bihar government who shielded him. His role as chairman of the Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited is also reportedly being probed by the ED as he allegedly awarded contracts worth ₹3,300 crore in exchange for kickbacks.
The ED investigations against Hans, an IIT-Delhi alumnus, and his associates have uncovered and deep nexus of corruption, illicit wealth, and abuse of power. Hans, once known as a bright officer, held influential positions in the Bihar government. He also served in the central government from 2004 to 2029 in various positions. He was elevated to the position of principal secretary in 2020,. He has been under the scanner of the authorities for the past two years after evidence against him pointed towards disproportionate wealth, misuse of power, and large-scale corruption.
