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A liquor scam exposes a network of forged guarantees, policy manipulation and bureaucratic connivance

- Amitabh Srivastava

On June 17, when the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested former IAS officer Amit Prakash, he joined the ignominious ranks of two others who were arrested the previous month: serving IAS officer Vinay Kumar Choubey and former excise commissioner Gajendra Singh. All are now cooling their heels in judicial custody. So, what’s brewing? A full-blown excise scam—vatfuls of it, in fact. And net losses are pegged at Rs 38 crore.

Prakash, who retired last December after serving as excise commissioner and managing director of the Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Ltd (JSBCL), stands accused of authorising payments totalling approximately Rs 11 crore to two liquor wholesalers, despite directives to withhold those funds. But the ramifications extend far beyond Prakash.

It all began to unfold through murmurings of a similar scam in neighbouring Chhattisgarh in 2024. In Jharkhand, it first came to light in May, when the ACB apprehended Choubey—once a key aide to chief minister Hemant Soren—on charges of causing massive financial losses to the exchequer. Since then, it has escalated into what seems a multilayered case of systemic corruption.

At its core lies a nexus of bureaucrats, businessmen and excise officials who allegedly manipulated policies and institutional blind spots to run an illegal liquor syndicate spanning state borders. With 10 arrests so far, including those of private operators and a hologram supplier, and amid calls for a CBI inquiry by the Opposition BJP, the racket marks a pivotal moment for public accountability.