Patna: A month after promoting 1998-batch IPS officer Amit Lodha to the post of Additional Director General (ADG), the Bihar government has constituted a committee to consider granting prosecution sanction against him in a disproportionate assets (DA) case under investigation by the Special Vigilance Unit (SVU).
Lodha had earlier approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) over delays in his promotion due to the pending case. The CAT ruled in his favor, leading to his promotion. However, the newly constituted committee will also evaluate whether the CAT order can be legally challenged.
A senior official stated that prosecution sanction is a prerequisite for filing a chargesheet in the case. The SVU has alleged that Lodha accumulated assets worth over ₹7 crore, while his legal income was under ₹2 crore. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on these allegations.
The Patna High Court has already dismissed Lodha’s plea seeking quashing of the FIR filed by SVU, directing the agency to complete the investigation within a specified timeframe.
According to SVU findings, Lodha allegedly received payments from Friday Story Tellers LLP, the production company behind a web series inspired by his life. He reportedly accepted ₹12,372 and ₹75,900 during his tenure as IG, Magadh Range, in August and September 2021, while meeting with and accompanying the film crew – raising questions about the legitimacy of those earnings.
Furthermore, SVU claims there were regular fund transfers from the production company to the account of Komudi Lodha, wife of the IPS officer, suggesting that both Lodha and his close associates may have been ultimate beneficiaries of the earnings.
The case continues to draw attention due to the officer’s high profile and the intersection of public service with private financial dealings.
