Arun Kumar Sahu & Others Vs Deputy Director (Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA Delhi)
Fake Loans & Cash Deals Unmasked- Coal Levy Bribe Trail Exposed – Tribunal Upholds ₹5.5 Cr Attachment of IAS Officer’s Family – Pre-Offence Assets Not Immune – Tribunal Confirms PMLA Attachment
A batch of nine appeals was filed by Ranu Sahu (IAS officer) & her family members challenging the Adjudicating Authority’s order dated 09.10.2023 confirming Provisional Attachment Order dated 08.05.2023 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
The attachments were based on the Suryakant Tiwari “coal levy” scam, wherein a syndicate allegedly collected ₹25 per ton of coal transported across Chhattisgarh, distributing bribes to bureaucrats & politicians. The ED alleged that Ranu Sahu, while Collector of Korba & Raigarh, received ₹5.52 crore as bribe, & her family purchased properties worth over ₹4 crore through layered transactions.
Appellants contended that their properties were acquired from agricultural & business income long before the alleged offence; that no valid FIR for a scheduled offence existed when ECIR was recorded; & that the reliance on a diary recovered from one Nikhil Chandrakar was insufficient to link them to proceeds of crime.
ED produced statements of family members & witnesses u/s 50(2)&(3), showing that:
- Several “unsecured loans” were fictitious, arranged through entry operators;
- Sellers of land confirmed receipt of huge cash payments over registered values;
- Family members lacked any genuine source of funds; &
- Chartered Accountant & lenders denied giving loans or receiving repayment.
Tribunal held that the appellants’ explanations were unsubstantiated, cash transactions were proven, & agricultural income was insufficient. It found that many properties were acquired between 2017–2021 using layered cash deposits & that Ranu Sahu, being a government officer, could not justify such accumulation.
