Choudhary to continue probe in Koda scam case

Ordering status quo, the Jharkhand High Court today directed the Income Tax department that its transferred senior official Ujjwal Choudhary will remain in his previous post and continue to probe the Madhu Koda case.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra and Justice R R Prasad, while hearing a PIL observed that Choudhary, Director (Income Tax-Investigation), should remain in Ranchi Circle in the same post.

Shortly after the court order, Choudhary said, "I will continue to work to the best of my ability."  The PIL filed by social activist Durga Oraon sought status quo in the case of Choudhary who was transfered on February 19, when he was in Chaibasa during countrywide raids at 70 places in connection with the Rs 2,000 crore money laundering charges against the former Jharkhand chief minister and some others.

Oraon pleaded that Choudhary's transfer might affect the investigations into the scam and that he be allowed to continue in his previous posting till the probe was over.

In all, Choudhary had overseen raids on 140 premises across the country, including that of Koda and his close associate Binod Sinha and Sanjay Choudhary. Both Sinha and Choudhary are at large and are facing arrest warrants from both the IT and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Koda is, at present in judicial custody in connection with a Disproportionate Assets case being probed by the Jharkhand Vigilance Bureau.

Choudhary was one of the 29 IT officers in the list of transfer/postings that the IT department carried out on February 19.

According to the transfer order, the Chief Income Tax Commissioner Ajay Kumar was to take over the investigations and Choudhary was to be the CIT-C.