Ranchi (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to senior Congress MLA and former state Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon, his son Rohit Oraon, and retired Excise Commissioner Amit Prakash in connection with the Jharkhand liquor scam.
The federal agency has ordered all three individuals to appear for interrogation and has directed them to bring relevant financial and administrative documents linked to the case.
The ED is currently dissecting suspicious financial transactions and the role of various private entities in implementing Jharkhand’s controversial new excise policy. Investigators are particularly scrutinizing Rohit Oraon’s role, as they suspect he allegedly helped facilitate contracts for certain Chhattisgarh-based liquor companies operating in Jharkhand.
The central agency has not yet issued a formal public statement regarding the fresh summons.
The Legal Network and Ongoing Probe
The anti-money laundering agency officially initiated its investigation by registering an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) No. 10/2025. This followed Case No. 9/2025, which the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had previously lodged.
Key updates on the investigation include:
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Jail Interrogations: The ED recently secured permission from the Ranchi PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court to question and record the statements of key accused individuals who are currently jailed under ACB custody.
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Tracing the Money Trail: The primary objective of the federal investigators is to map out the money laundering angle, specifically tracing how the alleged proceeds of crime were distributed, utilized, and funneled to various beneficiaries.
Background of the Excise Case
The overarching corruption case began in May last year when the ACB registered a formal FIR exposing widespread irregularities in the rollout of Jharkhand’s liquor policy. The state agency alleged that the policy was manipulated, resulting in massive financial losses to the state exchequer.
The ACB’s FIR named 10 influential individuals, including senior IAS officer Vinay Chaubey, then Joint Secretary of the Excise Department Gajendra Singh, and businessman Vinay Singh.
The widening net has now reached Rameshwar Oraon, a prominent political figure in the state who currently represents the Lohardaga Assembly constituency for the Congress party.
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