The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of former Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan, involved in a controversial case concerning the illegal sale of army land in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The bench, consisting of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma, upheld the Jharkhand High Court’s decision from October of the previous year, which had also denied bail.
Ranjan was arrested on May 4 following a series of raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Ranchi. He is accused of playing a key role in facilitating the unauthorized sale of approximately 4.55 acres of army land in the Bariatu area of Ranchi.
The ED’s investigation further revealed that three parcels of land located on Cheshire Home Road, Pugru, and Siram in Ranchi, collectively valued at Rs 161.64 crore, were provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the ED, these lands were illegally transferred (“mutated”) in favor of land mafias through fraudulent means, involving complicity with officials from the land revenue department. This case has highlighted a broader illegal land ownership transfer scheme orchestrated by a land mafia in Jharkhand.
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In seeking bail, Ranjan had argued before the high court that his release was justified due to the alleged non-submission of the charge sheet within the prescribed timeframe. However, the high court noted that the investigating agency had completed the probe effectively and had already filed the charge sheet, dismissing his claims as insufficient grounds for bail.
