Corruption Cases Against State Officials Spark Debate In Chhattisgarh Assembly

Raipur: On the second day of the budget session of the Chhattisgarh State Assembly, the issue of corruption cases filed against State Administrative Officers working in the Chhattisgarh government and status of investigation and the action taken against the corrupt and tainted officers working in the state administration were raised in the house during the ‘Question Hour’. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Dharamlal Kaushik raised the important issue in the question hour.

Dharamlal Kaushik asked how many investigation cases are pending with the investigation agencies like Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Economic and Offence Wing (EOW), against the corrupt and tainted officers and the action taken by the government so far.

He expressed his displeasure over the action taken against the state administrative officers booked under the charges of corruption Tekram Maheshwari and Jyoti Babli.

Tekram Maheshwari was then sub-divisional officer (revenue) in Saja and the ACB arrested him red handed for taking a bribe Rs 10,000 from the victim on 14-Nov-2024. Despite he was sent in jail but got suspended on 04-Feb-2025.

Second case is related to Jyoti Babli, then Chief Executive Officer Wadrafnagar. The officer of state services has been booked for siphoning of government fund in October 27, 2023 but the government sent reminder on her status only in February 14, 2025. Kaushik alleged the officers are not serious about the corruption related crime.

Responding to the allegations of Kaushik, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai assured that his government has adopted a zero tolerance policy against corruption and the guilty officers will not be spared. The government’s motive is providing Good Governance through Convergence Department.

Notably, nine officers of Chhattisgarh State Services are booked for misuse of power, post and corruption are – former Deputy Secretary to Chief Minister Soumya Chaurasia (cases are Disproportionate Asset case (DA), role in extorting coal levy, corruption in DMF fund in Korba),

Bharosa Ram Thakur Nodal Officer DMF- (role in DMF scam in Korba, when IAS Ranu Sahu was district collector)

Tekram Maheshwari SDM-revenue- (arrested by ACB for taking bribe)

Shiv Banarjee, Deputy Collector, Surajpur – ( role in extortion in coal levy)

Jyoti Babli Bairagi, CEO – (Siphoning of Government funds using forged documents)

Narayan Prasad Gabhel, Tehsildar, Bilaspur- Disproportionate Asset case (DA),

Aarti Vasnik, Examination Controller, CGPSC – (Corruption occurred selection of candidates)

Prem Prakash Sharma, GM, Textbook Corporation – (Sold text books in scrap)

Nirbhay Kumar Sahu, SDM Land Acquisition – ( Corruption in Bharatmala Project)