Coal levy scam: SC dismisses bail plea of ex-Chhattisgarh CM's deputy secy

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the bail plea of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's deputy secretary Saumya Chaurasia, who is an accused in an alleged coal levy scam money laundering case.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma also imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on her for misrepresenting facts by making incorrect statements

"It cannot be gainsaid that parties approaching court seeking justice are expected to make full and correct disclosure of all material facts and every advocate being an officer of court though appearing for a party is expected to assist the court fairly," the bench said.

"On merits also we have not found anything. Since incorrect facts were stated, we have dismissed the appeal with costs of one lakh," the bench said.

The top court was hearing an appeal filed by Chaurasia against an order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which rejected her bail plea.

The federal probe agency had last year alleged that a "grand conspiracy" was hatched in the natural resources-rich state to perpetrate a coal levy 'scam' in which Rs 540 crore has been "extorted" over the last two years.

The money laundering case stems from an Income Tax department complaint.

The ED investigation relates to "a massive scam in which illegal levy of Rs 25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen", the agency had said.