Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the Chhattisgarh Government has intensified its Zero Tolerance stance against corruption. In its toughest action yet, the government has suspended 22 out of 29 Excise Department officials accused in the Rs 3,200 crore liquor scam that occurred during the previous regime. The move is being viewed as one of the largest anti-corruption crackdowns by any state government in India.
The suspended officials are alleged to have amassed movable and immovable assets through illegal means, earning approximately Rs 88 crore between 2019 and 2023 via corrupt practices. Investigations by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) revealed the scam was operated by a coordinated syndicate, with Excise officials playing a key role.
Out of the 29 accused, one has passed away and seven have retired. The fifth supplementary chargesheet, filed in court on 7 July, includes a 138-page summary, 2,100 pages of primary documents, and 227 witnesses listed as evidence.
List of officials suspended
The officials suspended include:
Excise Deputy Commissioners: Animesh Netam, Arvind Kumar Patle, Neetu Notani, Nohar Singh Thakur, Vijay Sen Sharma.
Assistant Excise Commissioners: Pramod Kumar Netam, Vikas Kumar Goswami, Naveen Pratap Singh Tomar, Rajesh Jaiswal, Manjushree Kaser, Dinkar Vasnik, Ashish Kosam, Saurabh Bakshi, Prakash Pal, Ramkrishna Mishra, Alakh Ram Kaser, Sonal Netam.
District Excise Officers: Mohit Kumar Jaiswal, Gareebpal Singh Dardi, Iqbal Ahmad Khan, Janardan Singh Kaurav, Nitin Kumar Khanduja.
Action extends across government scams
The state government is also investigating other major scams under the previous administration, including the DMF scam, Mahadev betting app scam, and the tendu leaf procurement scam. In each case, the government is taking decisive steps to ensure that those found guilty face strict punishment.
In the past two years alone, the ACB has arrested over 200 corrupt officials, reinforcing the government's resolve for clean governance.
Governance reforms and transparency measures
In addition to anti-corruption action, the Chhattisgarh Government has introduced over 350 reforms to ensure transparent and efficient administration which include, mandatory procurement through GeM portal, implementation of e-Office system, single Window System 2.0 for streamlined NOCs, and abolition of FL-10 policy in the Excise Department.
Apart from these,mandatory holograms on liquor bottles to curb counterfeiting, digitised mineral transit passes, timber e-auction system and formation of a Department of Good Governance and Convergence has also been undertaken.
Investigations handed over to CBI, EOW
The government has also handed over the investigation into the PSC-2021 examination irregularities to the CBI, which has arrested the then Chairman of the Commission. Meanwhile, the EOW is probing the Bharatmala project and CGMSC scams, leading to the suspension of several officials.
Importantly, action has not been limited to any one cadre, IAS, IFS, and state service officers have all been subjected to scrutiny and legal action.
No place for corruption, says CM Vishnu Deo Sai
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has categorically stated that the scam occurred during the previous government's tenure and assured that none of the guilty will be spared.
"There is no place for corruption in the state anymore. Our government is committed to delivering a transparent, accountable and honest administration to the people," he emphasised.
