Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Monday reserved its order on a bail application filed by suspended IAS officer Vinay Choubey, a 1999-batch officer of the Jharkhand cadre and former Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Hazaribag.
Choubey has approached the High Court seeking bail in a case registered against him by the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which alleges his involvement in the illegal sale of Sewayat lands during his tenure as DC of Hazaribag.
The High Court’s decision is awaited after hearing arguments from both sides in the matter, which has become one of the prominent corruption-related cases involving a senior bureaucrat in the state.
Jharkhand Sewayat Land Sale Case: Allegations Linked to Tenure as Hazaribag Deputy Commissioner
According to the prosecution, the case pertains to alleged irregularities in the sale and transfer of Sewayat lands in Hazaribag district.
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The ACB has accused Vinay Choubey of facilitating or allowing illegal transactions involving these lands while he was serving as the district’s top administrative officer.
Choubey was arrested in connection with the case and has remained in judicial custody since May 20 last year. He had earlier moved the court of the Special Judge, ACB, Hazaribag, seeking bail. However, his bail application was rejected on September 16, following which he approached the Jharkhand High Court.
Bail in Liquor Scam Case, But Custody Continues
Vinay Choubey is also a key accused in the Jharkhand liquor excise scam, which allegedly caused a significant loss to the state exchequer.
In that case, he was granted bail by a lower court after the investigating agency failed to submit the chargesheet within the stipulated statutory period.
Despite being granted bail in the liquor scam case, Choubey continued to remain behind bars due to his custody in the Hazaribag land-related case, which is currently under consideration before the High Court.
Who is Vinay Kumar Choubey
Vinay Kumar Choubey is a senior IAS officer of the 1999 batch, belonging to the Jharkhand cadre. Born on October 27, 1975, he hails from Bokaro Steel City.
He completed his schooling at Delhi Public School and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Bokaro and later earned a B.Tech in Computer Science from BITS Pilani.
Over the years, Choubey held several high-profile positions in the Jharkhand government.
He served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Principal Secretary of the Panchayati Raj Department, Secretary of the Excise Department, and Managing Director of the Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Limited.
He also served as Deputy Commissioner of Hazaribag, during which the alleged land-related irregularities are said to have occurred.
Multiple Investigations and Suspension
As of 2026, Choubey’s career is overshadowed by multiple investigations and judicial proceedings.
He was arrested by the ACB in May 2025 in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2022 excise policy, which reportedly resulted in a loss of around ₹38 crore to the state exchequer.
The Enforcement Directorate has also conducted probes into alleged money laundering, including financial transactions involving his family.
Following his arrest, Choubey was placed under suspension. While he secured default bail in the excise case due to procedural delays, the land scam case has kept him in custody, with the High Court now set to decide on his bail plea.
Jharkhand Sewayat Land Sale Case: Awaited Verdict to Determine Next Course
With the Jharkhand High Court having reserved its order, the fate of Vinay Choubey’s bail application now hinges on the court’s final ruling.
The decision is expected to have a significant bearing on the ongoing investigations and the future course of legal proceedings against the suspended IAS officer.
